HiFiMAN Arya Review - A Planar HD800s?
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- Опубликовано: 12 июн 2020
- HiFiMAN Arya: www.headphones.com/products/h...
Written review and measurements: www.headphones.com/blogs/news...
Forum thread: forum.headphones.com/t/hifima...
Become an expert on headphones: www.headphones.com/pages/rese...
Learn about headphone measurements and frequency response: www.headphones.com/pages/meas...
How frequency response impacts sound signature: www.headphones.com/pages/how-...
Podcast: theheadphoneshow.fireside.fm/
Source equipment
Amp - SPL Phonitor X: www.headphones.com/products/s...
Amp - Cayin IHA-6: www.amazon.com/CAYIN-Balanced...
DAC - iFi Pro iDSD: www.headphones.com/products/i...
DAC - Mytek Liberty: www.headphones.com/products/m... 
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Excellent review @The Headphone Show and Resolve! I especially appreciated the part about the new measurement rig and the comparison to the 2013 Harman target. Looking forward to seeing more of your measurements on other headphones.
What I wish to share is that the Arya presents music like waves od sound that come to you from all sides and you get an immersive experience that is unique. All sounds are so big that you feel standing in the middle of a big concert hall with enormous depth, height and scale. And vocals are uniquely separated from rest of music and are presented live.
Vocals are on their own layer almost, its fantastic
Quite the same with Ananda Stealth ..599 open box..
@@torukmahtomahto409 well, glad you enjoy it! Just try the Arya when you upgrade.
@@nikolaygramchev I tryed, is better but not for more than double price..Ananda is also easy to drive even with a iphone..Also, HD800s is better than Arya for critical music for a bit less..Anyway, the're not a perfect headphone even in 2k-4k price range..Take what you like and you can afford...Cheers
@@torukmahtomahto409 easy to drive, and from iPhone!!!! Looks like we are talking about different chains of drive! I drive the Arya from iFi Pro iDSD and Burson Soloist 3XP, and got it open-box for less$1000. HD800s is also a favourite of mine, happy to have it.
I though louis c.k is reviewing headphones now, love your reviews man! You’re my go to reviewer now, outiside of my usual go to channels before. The way you described everything is great! 👌
As always, I enjoy your reviews!
I cant wait to try it. Great review. Glad to see the stealth revisions fixed the treble issue.
I dont hear any treble issue with my v2, they are not even warmed up or tested on tubes
I got the Arya about a week and it has been everything I was hoping for. I think my AP2000ti is as good with detail retrieval and is a bit more dynamic sounding in the bass but Arya has the best soundstage and imaging of any headphone I've ever had hands down. Music that I've heard countless times sounds so much more open and alive, it's really quite amazing.
This my friends is how a review is done !
He perfectly describes exactly how the Arya sounds and is compared to an LCD-X. The Audeze line up is on another level.
@Bodie Conner Why would you want to do this ?
Perhaps slowing down a bit; often difficulty from word strings that quickly run together. Bit the organization and knowledge is evident.
very nicely done review, would have liked to hear more comparisons w the auteur considering it's in the same price bracket
Great, detailed review
I think I'll be upgrading to this from the Sundara 2020. Seems like a natural step up.
Articulate considerations, very much appreciated the comparative analyses. Particularly the lack of strict rationality to a given ideal.
Great review Andrew. Would love to see you do another comparison of other top of the line iems like a threeway against the tia forte, audeze lcdi4 and the shure kse1200
+1!!! Add the 64 audio trio to that 👍
a beautiful headphone. had these for 6 months and theyre awsome
How would you compare the Arya to the HEDDphone? Are there any significant advantages/disadvantages one has over the other that you can recall? Thanks
Is the actual Planar Magnetic driver different from the Arya vs the Ananda? As an HD800 non s and Ananda owner who couldn't find an Arya wish I could understand more about the technology that creates the differences between these two models that are within 1k of each other.
P.s. can someone please help me find a leather or more HD800 / alcantera type earcup replacement for the oval yolk Hifiman headphone series as that fabric that they use gives me the weirdest rug burn on my jaw since the Yolks are so big
Your headphone reviews are simply the best I've found; they're professional, thorough, and enjoyable. Plus, it's great that you don't underestimate the importance of measurements.
Thank you.. Can you make a video like best choice from 1500 to 2000 $.. And 1500 to 1000.. Then under 1000 $.. It really helps when it comes to the budget 👍
Nice work detailing the main differences in this price range. I went for punch, so Clear it is. Cheers :)
Would you say the Clear is more suited to electronic music, and the Arya more for live music? That's how I imagine these - close and punchy vs organic and airy.
@@bensherman1977 Haven’t heard Arya.
Noticed you guys still haven't done a video review of the Arya Stealth edition. Anything planned for it in the near future?
I found this review to be incredibly agreeable. Favorite reviewer by far.
Yes you can tell he knows what he's talking about
How does it compare to ZMF auteur?
How are the s and t sounds on the arya are they bright and sibilant like the dt1990?
What DAC/Amp around 500 would you recommend to pair the Arya with ? Ths man
I also have a question about your review of the Moondrop Blessing 2.
How would you compare the soundstage and imaging on those two? Would you pick the new revision of the Andromeda over the Blessing 2?
Thanks in advance!
It's a tough choice. I can see someone preferring either. But the fact that the B2 costs less than half the price makes it a pretty crazy good value.
I currently have a pair of LCD-Xs and looking for a new pickup. What would be the polar opposite of those be? Trying to experience music in different ways.
Hey Andrew,
I wonder if it’s simply unit variance or really another revision of the Arya. This would be the third? Please correct me if I am wrong.
I did like the first revision Arya a lot. This was over a year ago. Back then it was out of my budget. Now that I used my HEDD Audio HEDDphone for a few weeks, get along with its weight and ergonomics... I really have to know, if there is a new revision coming and Hifiman is doing it in stealth mode, again.
As much as I enjoy the HEDDphone‘s technicalities... the build and the balanced sound. ..the Arya is in the back of my head. Though even if I’d manage to get my hands on a unit, where do I see which revision I listen to? Is it the carbon inside of the cups? - with revision 2? Will there be a gen 2/3 in europe?
This really bugs me, with Hifiman. You get updated versions, like the Sundara, from time to time, which is great. On the other hand, you could never be safe, if there’s something around the corner. For those who buy one headphone and stop following the developments, it might be ok.
For us others, who keep on watching reviews, listening to other people’s headphones at meets or audition at the local store...
It could be frustrating, getting in the position, to be aware of optimized revs.
LoL.... and the „collector“ in me, wants different hfs with all the driver types. Still miss out on a planar, with my dynamics (Focal, Sennheisers, AKG and Beyerdynamics) and the crazy good full range AMT
Is the Arya‘s staging/layering similar to the flexible of the HEDD, in terms of presenting intimacy and can expand super wide? Because this gets me all the time with the HEDD. Besides all other qualities... this keeps me super fascinated with known music and new tracks
Yeah, I've kind of given up trying to keep track of all the various changes. I know with this one they definitely changed the mesh on the headphone, and they switched the pads (apparently they now have a different clip mechanism). So if you want the one that's the same as what I've reviewed here, you can see the difference even in photos with the mesh. If you compare it to Audeze stuff, they have tons of revisions as well. I think that's just the nature of these headphones in general. It sucks for prospective customers I think, but at the same time I do like that they're improving stuff over time, whether that's reliability or FR. Thankfully it's not a huge tonality change on this one, but I do think it speaks to yet another reason for people to get into EQ.
If buying this headphone w/o DAC/Amp what DAC/Amp do you recommend?
@headphoneshow I recently purchased the final audio d8000 pro and I'm looking for a hp that complements them well, I was thinking between Arya, verite open and verite closed I'm kinda leaning towards the Verite closed
If you would had to keep only 1 of these two which one would be and why: monarch mk2 or arya ? thansk!
If possible, could you please do a review on the mdr-z1r? thanks
I didnt realize you didnt have a review for this already
He sort of did. He did a comparison between the Arya and the Ananda on his old channel: ruclips.net/video/Ak9WHse1OQs/видео.html
@@tEch-01 HiFiMan need to work on their headband design. All I can describe them with is "clunky". Even the 4XX design has failures and troubles.
It may look dorky but it’s comfortable.
How about this in comparison to Mr speakers ether 1.1 open headphones? I can't remember if you have reviews that headphone from Dan or not. Seen many positive reviews of this hifiman and the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger is the build and long term longevity. Thanks!
Time to do the Stealth Magnetic version?
Right at the time when I'm thinking about the Arya, you come with a review! I've been curious about this can as an upgrade from my HE-500, and it seems to tick most of the boxes... But I'm still seeking more bass impact. The LCD-X's weight, muffled kind of sound, and driver variation has warded me off, and the Focal Clear is solid, but just a little too closed in and slightly metallic sounding for my taste.
Can't wait to see a Verite review. If I had the money, that would most definitely be my pick.
Verite is perhaps my favorite middle ground for technicalities. And by that I mean, it's not the absolute best at everything, but at the same time it does everyone well, so there aren't any trade-offs. It's got awesome detail, big soundstage, slams like a truck... great timbre. The only downside for the Verite IMO is that its tonality is a bit wonky. It's quite dipped in the upper mids around 3khz, but I'm perfectly comfortable doing a bit of EQ and it's not hard to do. It's currently my go-to headphone.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow I had a chance to demo that can some time ago, and it completely blew me away at how large and "live," it sounded. It was visceral...Not quite like being at a concert, but it gave me that vibe, and I haven't had that kind of experience with a headphone before. Time to start saving up my pennies.
As an owner of both, my Arya's didn't completely replace my HE-500's. The mids are more present and thicker in the HE-500 (its mids being one of the best in the business), which makes me prefer the HE-500 for indie rock, punk, alternative, metal, etc. that aren't particularly well-recorded. In terms of technicalities, the Arya is better than the HE-500 but the Arya loses out on dynamics and punch that the old Hifiman cans were known for (particularly the HE-6 and HE-500). With that being said, the Arya is a better all-rounder than the HE-500, but I would still reach for the HE-500 if I wanted to listen to old Black Sabbath albums.
@@mikehunt9832 This is quite helpful, thank you! Yes, the 500's mids are terrific, and matching them up versus some more recent Hifiman cans I'm still impressed by the added warmth that adds more weight to the sound. I don't see myself getting rid of them, but definitely getting a bit tired of the poor comfort, and I'm babying them more due to their age.
Yeah, the comfort of the old HE cans (weight from the dual-magnets in each cup and the headband) leaves something to be desired. One can replace the headband with Audeze's suspension strap headband (or carbon fiber for more weight-savings but higher $$$) + Audeze's gimbal/yoke set. Another approach is to find an HE-560 suspension strap headband with reinforced yokes + swivel; however, this mod is not reversible due to having to drill out larger holes in the cups to fit the yokes. The last option is to get a lohb strap.
In general, if the track is well-recorded, the Arya (like other highly resolving cans) is awesome, not so much when it is not. Like you, I'm not selling my HE-500.
Are they a big upgrade from sundara?
This gamer definitely bought these back when they came out. So yes interested lol. To be fair I am easily as big of a headphone enthusiast as a gaming one. I actually bought the Ananda first and really appreciated the technical ability as well as the signature with an engaging midrange and relatively deep if more rounded or perhaps softer bass. The main reason I upgraded one week after buying was the pressure it placed on my jaw below my ears with out the ability to swivel. I sent them back and paid difference for the arya which was a more balanced and preferred sound( I like well rounded headphones normally). I find them much more comfortable with the ability to swivel reducing pressure on my pressure points. I really like your take on them and agree with many points you talked about. Granted I'm running mine through liquid platinum but still does a good job driving them.
Still the best headphone for the money. Nothing beats this on the price, sound, comfort ratio. Nothing really compares. I fall asleep in these which is rarely possible with headphones in this league
Thinking about picking these up. Would the Fiio M15 be able to drive these well enough?
Absolutely
so Andrew how's Arya compares to Rad0?
Maan I had AKG K601 for years now, akg k240 II for a while and I had good columns cobalt 801 or something like that, now I might look for this kind of upgrade - initially wanted bose QC 35 II but I have kid now and need to listen to environment at the same time lol. Will look for a bargain and get the best for myself now :D
Would Arya will sound good on topping DX7 PRO?
wish you would have included the adx5000 in since its frequently compared to HD800S
Would you still recommend the Ananda over the Arya after this more recent review of the Arya? I remember you stating you preferred the Ananda from a comparison review a year ago and wonder if anything has changed.
No I preferred the Arya, but not at first listen. It took a bit to understand how much better the Arya is, and it definitely is better.
You didn’t compare it to ath-adx5000 :(
One thing I have noticed that Arya bought in March 2020 has little aggressive sound when in vocal range 'S' is pronounced by singers, whereas Focal Clear or Utopia dont have that 's' sibliant sounds, resulting much smoother vocal for long time listening. (different amps used with Arya over 150 hours, while Clear and Utopia are straightaway smooth out of the box.)
If the new version has no 's' aggressiveness without changing other areas, then it is a very good choice!
Yeah that's been my take as well, because the one I evaluated previously had the slight aggressiveness to 's' sounds. It's still within tolerances for unit variation with planars but hifiman is usually pretty good about that. My hunch is that this change did come from the dust cover changes - but don't quote me on that haha.
my Arya v2 got no sibliant sounds or maybe im deaf but I know how headphones can be agressive with S sounds got Grado and T60rp also can be sharp. Maybe its because I never used original cable, Im using copper/silver hybrid wire with my Clear's and Arya
is this the stealth?
Hey Andrew. Any chance of you reviewing the ZMF Closed back headphones, like the Atticus, Eikon and Verité C?
I would love to hear your impressions on those. Keep up the great reviews!
Bye
I'd love to. It all depends on when Zach has something free to be able to send me for review.
Will thx 789 amp be consider to have enough power for this with balanced cable? Please and thank you
Easily enough
I just bought these headphones because of this review, I hope I enjoy the headphones.
Do you like it?
@@renamamiya9128 I love it!!! One of the best headphones I've heard and own, still the price isn't that good
Nice review Andrew, as always. Here’s the deal for me...Until Hifiman fixes their build shortcomings I’ll not be buying any of their higher end headphones, period.
I really want to like this headphone but It just doesn’t feel justified to me at this price.
sound wise it beats the lcd 2, x and 3 imo
ill pay for that
@@KenMoreira Well, fast forward a year later with reinforcements in the yokes I took a chance and bought the Arya and I love it.
I definitely registered this quite quickly with Hifiman and purchased open box so the price was pretty good.
I still think the plastic on the headband is awful but the Arya is an incredible headphone no doubt.
I’m leaving my LCD-XC on the stand 90% of the time.
Cheers!
@@darthdurkelthewise320 The plastic yokes are of decent quality plastic and have metal bands on the inside of them - for durability. It's not naked plastic.
I have an Auteur and have been looking into something to compliment it nicely. How does this compare to the auteur?
Or should I save up, sell the auteur and get a verite?
Stick with the Auteur, man. Hifiman build quality is shady. Nothing high end about it at all.
I own both the Auteur and Verité. I like both of them for different reasons. The Auteur is more neutral and the Verité is more euphonic. They compliment each other very well!
I have a option to buy Empyrean second for slightly higher price, do you think Empyrean is better in tonality than Arya. Also is the Bass and punch is better than Empyrean? I heard Arya require more powerful amp than Empyrean so I might need to add a external Amp to Hugo 2 or do you think Hugo 2 can drive Arya. Thanks
Imo Arya has better tonality, Empyrean has bloated mid-bass thats kind of fatiguing in the long run
Also yes Arya needs a lot of power, more than most, I would recommend something like topping A90
I own both Arya and Empyrean. Equipment matching plays a major role in how both perform, but I think the Empyrean is more forgiving and requires less amplification. If I had to choose only one, I would go with the Empyrean because I find it less fatiguing for long listening sessions but Arya can definitely sound a little more “fun” depending on which rig I have them connected to.
Mike S what are you using for amplification?
Bro can u review Sony IER Z1R?
I have a big question: if i listen 320 kb mp3 sounds more better than average headphones?
Dimache Sebastian say that again,?
so technacly, it could be a idea to tube these to make them a little warmer?
I don't think it needs that. I tried to make it clear in the video that Harman is a bit too relaxed in the treble and rolls off a bit. It's just a common preference curve. I think most headphones will show more treble extension than Harman asks for.
It’s kind of funny Andrew, I am watching this on my 1 year anniversary of receiving my Aryas.
Nice review (as usual). Is it me, or somebody forgot to give a rating to the Hifiman Arya? 👀 (Not that I care about it, but was curious nonetheless.)
I'm in the process of revamping the whole rating system to be price independent. So I'll eventually have a ranking that coincides with a measurement database so you can compare.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Do you also plan to update other measurements with the latest rig mentioned in the video?
EDIT: Just saw you did one for the LCD-X, nice:
forum.headphones.com/t/audeze-lcd-x-open-back-planar-headphone-official-thread/2819/76
@@TheHEADPHONEShow hello Andrew, can you make a review of the Arya latest stealth magnets revision?
I'm thinking of getting the zmf vérité for music and gaming, would this headphone be a contender at a slightly cheaper price ?
The Arya is a very different sounding headphone. The Verite is a warm, euphonic, lush rich kind of sound. The Arya is much more 'normal' with an emphasis for clarity (a lot brighter in the upper mids). I think I prefer the Verite's technical performance, but for my preference, I enjoy the Arya's tonality better. But keep in mind with the Verite there are so many different pad options, so you can change the sound even without EQ. Although personally I do EQ my Verite a bit and I love it haha.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow okay cool thanks for the info mate, i'll keep it in mind. One more thing though, would you be an open or closed vérité kind of guy ?
@@TheHEADPHONEShow could you share your EQ preset? Thanks!
Josh Britton I think he has the open verite. I’ve never heard the open one but I sure do love my closed one!
Yes, some gamers are crazy enough to spend that kind of money on headphones. I'm currently using the Focal Clears, but considering these despite that Josh Valour says they're bad for gaming, and specifically because of the soundstage that you mention.
Agree, you can hear every single sound, but you can't tell if the cricket is on your face or a few steps ahead. In some games I even can't tell if the steps I hear are mine of the enemy's.
In movies, the warmer sound makes the voices of the actors sound weird and in your face.
But for music I love these headphones, I use some he4xx for everything else, gives movies and games a nice atmosphere
@@juanp756 i totally agree. I use them for gaming other than music and they are confusing sometimes. I had the akg k712pro and they were better, maybe not the same level of details and depth but I feel like it was easier to spot the enemy. That's only gaming wise, they still remain a great headphone
A few gamers, relatively speaking, most gamers scoff at paying thousands extra for a high end PC over a console, and that's a bigger difference than audio.
had my arya v2 for 2 years and they never fail too suprise me still. paired with the topping a90 ans topping d70s they sound incredible.
Would Arya will sound good on topping DX7 PRO too?
after half of a year with Arya v2 I sold it, your combo is sterile I bet its sharp at highs, timbre is planar like for my taste fake, sound stage could be only benefit of this headphones
@@soulfulfool yeah but with stealth version , this dac was good:) in v2 i have more bass, more soundstage
@@wolandphotography good for you, I got specific taste it looks like planar drivers are not for me
@@wolandphotography my new favourite headphone is audio technica adx5000, Arya compared to it lacks in details and overall balance in sound (dynamic driver timbre also suits me better), its not known and uderrated headphone, headphones that I consider airy and open as Grado (also it is bright headphone) compared to ADX5000 sounds veiled and dull, I take them over any open back headphones in their price range
I just picked one up for 1200 brand new. Hope it doesn't disappoint!
did you like it?
I'm actually a fan of 2k dips haha! With the Arya it's not as big a dip as with the Neumann ndh 20, but it's obviously there nonetheless, and I love it! it takes the sound presentation a step closer to the ideal target of speaker-like presentation. Almost the opposite concept of the presence region from that of Stax, whose engineers must be kind of deaf, unfortunately. What I wish the Arya didn't have is that extra energy at 4k and above 10k, I tend to eq those with the Arya. But they require a soft hand with the eq, the margin before their balance and resolve are ruined is pretty small. Stax headphones take eq'ing so much better!
Hey, can you share your eq settings?
@@jashan1741
100hz: +1db shelf Q12
4khz: -1.4db Q1.2
9khz: -1.5db shelf Q12
I only use this eq when I listen to certain genres, or on some recordings that have pretty hot upper mids/treble, I feel like I don't need it when I listen to classical and early music, and in general when the recordings are really well balanced or with a slight warm tilt. Also, obviously take that eq with a grain of salt, preference is personal, you may like to tweak it and you should, based on your hearing taste, and based on what recordings you are playing. For example, with some recordings I reduce by just -1db at 4k and 9k instead of what I indicated, so one should play around with it, but I tend to think that is the general idea to make the Arya sound a bit more natural.
How would you differentiate tonality vs timbre? Also would you say the Arya might not be best with small heads since the cups extend down more than others having the potential to break seal?
Tonality is the overall tonal balance, like frequency response zoomed out (at least this is how Tyll used the term). Timbre is related to FR but we generally use it as an analogy like instruments playing the same pitch but having a different 'timbre'. Balanced armature timbre is a good example.
Tonality is determined by the overall shape of the FR curve, while timbre is determined by those peaks and dips in the unsmoothed FR. If one looks at the raw FR graph, it is never smooth, and those wavy lines differentiate timbre from one headphone to the other.
Hi is there any flagship headphone that has a stainless steel built preferably a planer magnetic ?
Susvara?
Would you say the Clear is more suited to electronic music, and the Arya more for instrumental music? That's how I imagine these from the reviews: Clear is close and punchy (which I imagine is great for dance, electronic, hip hop, pop etc), versus the Arya being organic and airy (that I image being great for live performances, acoustic, orchestral, etc).
Clears are intimate warm and detailed, Arya is also strong with details but colder with more precision and much bigger sound stage. I am proud owner of both ❤
@@soulfulfool thia ia the question i have also i liaten to trap and techno mostly and some pop, is arya or clear bettwr for thise geneea in ur opinion
Arya is not beeing organic in any sense, planars are more dry digital sounding
@@jobra7624 definitely Clear is better option, but it needs a good amp, it has closer stage but more impact for bass
@@soulfulfool can you recommend a good amp and dac for like 500$/€ , im new to this stuff ,
All those comparisons are good and well..
But what about Arya vs. HE-1000SE?
Is the HE-1000SE that much better than Arya!? If so, in what way?
It’s more detailed, but also less forgiving and little harsher in the upper treble.
It's a noticeable step up for detail, but an unfortunate step down for tonality - at least the one I reviewed was. If you don't EQ, I'd recommend the Arya. If you do EQ, I'd recommend the HEKse.
Another great review.
Can I suggest that you in future reviews touch on how well a headphone can be driven from a iPad or other mobile devices. Yes I am obviously aware that a proper headphone amplifier is the ideal, but from personal usage I have to say that it’s very handy if one can easily connect a headphone to ones iPad and watch happily in a comfy chair or when one is traveling. By the way what can be considered the ideal impedance of a headphone for mobile usage? To low headphone resistance will undoubtedly make to to great frequency response irregularities with the assumed high output impedance of the mobile (?) and maybe even cook the mobile (?). To high headphone resistance will limit the sound output capacity (?!) But what is the sweet spot?
All in all, will be delighted if you can elaborate on these things in a future review 😃
Greetings from Denmark.
head audio headphones? Am I hearing that right? I can't find it on the internet.
HEDD Audio HEDDphones. Cheers!
I understand your comparisons sideways and down in price range, but I'm quite curious about these compared the the Hifiman HE-1000se.
HEKse has better detail, but worse tonal balance - at least the one I reviewed. I'd like to see more of them though.
At some point, I wonder if detail can be excessive, in the sense that if you're playing a lot of video games (like me) or listening to less than stellar-mastered music (cheap pop and punk rock, like me), then that extra detail is only going to bring out how badly done the audio is...
Quality review as usual.
Can you do one for the mdrz1r.
Since its one of the very few flagships that you didn't try yet.
Why should he ?
@@nicktan4530 why shouldn't he?
@@depauwgerlings because he already owns one. His statement hypothetical implies as though he wants let everyone know that thr mdrz1r is one of the best closed back headphone
@@nicktan4530 what's the problem with that? If he wants to spread the joy of the Mdrz1r, why not?
@@depauwgerlings no problem. But why should he either way ?
I’m so glad you advised me to get the Arya over the Ananda...really enjoying the difference!
How would you describe the sound siganture of the ananda?
For double the price I should expect a difference
@@sameermana2003 the headphone show actually had a write up which concluded with the ananda as the better recommendation. I've also heard from others that the ananda gets you about 80-90% of the arya.
@@humanmale1085 I actually bought the anandas a few weeks ago and I'm very satisfied with them... Although It was only when I ditched the god damn awful cable that came with it and bought a balanced cable... They really started to shine... Dramatically improves the bass when connected to my dap
@@sameermana2003awesome, glad your liking them. Ive heard the cable is just terrible. It seems hifiman dont have the build quality or design like other high end companies such as focal but nevertheless they make great sounding products, often punching above their price bracket.
I got the later Arya revision and was always wandering after your first review "there's no 6k peak, what is he talking about...". Now I know why ^^
Is there anyway to tell visually/physically between the two revisions?
@plad plad yes, you can see the dust cover difference, even in photos. The new one looks more... Visible haha.
@@callmevil I just bought a brand new one in Hong Kong special ordered from the official dealer. March 28 2020 production date. Mine looks exactly as the one he reviewed. The newest revision has a black cloth covering the outside driver. The older DEMO at the shop has a grill mesh with bigger holes covering the outside driver. The new one has cloth covering both inside and outside driver so hair and debris doesn't get in the driver as easily. And the same ear pads as the HE1000SE (in the owner's manual, it says that they changed the material to polyester so that hair doesn't get stuck in the ear pads and improve sound. It has high quality metal yokes and swivel. Powder coated driver housing (looks very nice).Its the most comfortable headphone I own and the best sounding. I owned HD800, Focal Clear, T1 Black 2nd gen, Denon D7200. Nothing come close to the Arya in terms of soundstage (sooo wide) and depth, separation (its like listening to iems with everything separated, you can hear every instrument at its own position), no sibilance (warm sounding, just presents all music soooo nicely).
@@Fenom60 I agree with your opinions except it doesn't have enough bass for rock, hard rock, metal and EDM. The bass is hella good and tight and fast but the amount is lacking for these genres. Everything else sounds perfect.
@@versaleyang I believe you are right. The bass slam probably can be found in Audeze LCD2, or a closed back like the Denons. To me with the Arya + ifi iDSD BL, theres more than enough bass for my taste with rock and edm music. The Arya certainly does not lack bass imo, just not as slammy, which some like and some don't like (gets fatiguing). The Arya really does many things right, and its very comfortable and at the good price ($8800HKD out the door, about $1136USD Brand new in hong kong), alot cheaper in the US I believe.
Here in Brazil, the Arya costs twice more money than the HD800s. And the HD800s costs only twice more than the Sundara (and costs about the same as the Ananda) . So I am deciding if I go for the Sundara, the Ananda, or the HD800s. I will use it exclusively for listening to the music (all diferent genres). No gaming here. I would appreciate any thougths/opinions that can help me make my decision. TKS!
pegou qual?
@@XDGAMESBR Sundara, mas a espuma que cobre o ouvido é de baixa qualidade e já soltou. Tive que substituí-la depois de 1 ano de uso aproximadamente. Mas o som é bom.
Can my IPhone drive this Arya headphone or the LCDX
Probably but not amazingly well
I've watched several of your videos and the reviews are great, but you incorrectly throw out the word "Flagship" for many products. Flagship refers to a companies absolute best offering and has the highest price tag and it could still apply to former flagships that have been replaced with a newer model. So for Hifiman, their flagship model would be the Shangri-La. I could be wrong, but this is my understanding of what flagship means for any product in any industry.
Don't get me started with TOTL, but this is misused by everyone, so whatever...
You're right, flagship should be the top model, but I find that's an ever moving target. Like, it would feel weird not calling the Susvara a flagship just because the Shangri-la exists. The he1k used to be their flagship, and the he-6 before that. So at a certain point I almost think there's a general sense of kilobuck and above headphones being considered 'flagship' level, even if the term isn't technically correct. There's also summit-fi as well so... There's a bit of colloquialism going on here regardless.
Detail retrieval compared to Verite or HEKSE?
HEKse is noticeably better, verite is a bit better. But Arya has a better tonality than both - at least for my preference
@@TheHEADPHONEShow how does the Hekv2 compare to both the Arya and Verité?
Would you say that the arya is better than the hd800s in the soundstage & imaging area?
Yes because you get better depth, and because you get better image separation (planar advantage). The HD800s does sound quite spacious and detailed though as well.
@@TheHEADPHONEShowI would disagree. From my expirience the HD 800 is more spacios and way wider left to right. I also wouldnt say that the Arya is deeper. I think the tallness of the Images and also the "see through" quality to the center Image makes it special or different from HD 800. Instrument seperation was pretty similar though.
I keep coming back to this review just to hear your fantastic breakdown of the Arya's. I bought these 3 months ago, and have been daily drivers since. Note to Arya owners: if you haven't already, get balanced cables. There's a MASSIVE difference in sound when going from the stock cables to balanced. Soundstage widens even more, separation is better, bass has significantly more impact, and height of soundstage improves as well. They also require quite a bit of power, but scales well with your equipment.
@Tweed Penguin Why respond to a 10 month old comment just to drop hate, when you can do something better with your life. So dumb. Seriously, do better :)
its all about power, I already got 2 pairs of planars so I know they really show their potential high on power, otherwise they are sleeping :)
do u reccomend any specific cables for the arya?
@@bored4965 I just use Hart Audio cables 3.5mm that terminates into 4-pin XLR. Nothing crazy or expensive like Silver Dragons.
can you share how you EQ the bass on the Arya? thnx
You can just add a 2dB shelf below 120hz. That should be all you need.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow tyvm! so, you mean push every frequency below 120hz up 2db, right?
EQ APO has a low shelf filter that you can use instead of individual peak filters.
Turn on closed captions 😂
I am very unhappy with my Arya Stealth. It is very unbalanced and treble is very sharp and painful. I tried software equalizer and then my HE-560 or HD-800 become much much better... :(
The 11.7K peak really gets on my nerves, I had to EQ it down by 6-7dB for it to not make female vocals sound etched.
Are you sure that's the area? 11-12khz is more 'air' than anything else. I don't find it out of balance on the Arya like on the LCD-4 or HEKse.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Yeah, some female vocals have harmonics that high. Oratory also cuts 12.5K by 6db
@@joej78 it'd have to be a fairly narrow Q value for that.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Yeah, I use Q of 8, oratory uses q of 6. It comes out most with "breathy" types of vocals.
@@joej78 Ah, yeah I could see that.
I sold my Arya to fund the HEDDphone and I instantly forgot how good the arya was, once I heard the heddphone. Wih that said, I still use the original HD800(not modded) for gaming over the heddphone and arya. I'm not sure but something in hd800's FR that makes gaming so good, e.g. footsteps on the grass they're so accurate, almost cheating.
What do u like more about the heddphone over the arya?
@@callmevil heddphone is basically the arya on steroids. Like this review says, heddphone is more technical . The only thing the arya wins is the bass region. To my ears, imaging is almost as accurate as the arya when in terms of placement, however, the images on the heddphone are smaller than arya's. But I still put the original HD800 imaging capabilities ahead of the arya and heddphone. The only downside of the heddphone is the crackling sound when adjusting the heddphones. It says in the manual that it is the nature of an AMT driver so it is normal. I don't mind the weight since I don't have listening sessions longer than an hour.
Jek thank you for that thorough reply. Crackling, hope that doesnt get worse over time.. and i like the sound of “arya on steroids” lol
Arya vs ATH5k??
Im so torn between getting either the arya or the lcd-x and its so hard to decide..
Just finished watching the entire review.. the heddphone costs around the same price as the arya here in the uk and it was an option for me along with the arya and lcd-x but there’s just so few reviews on it and steve guttenberg’s review in particular made the heddphone questionable to say the least.. sighhhhh i just want to get lost in the music and have female vocals to float around freely and untethered from the music...
Get the LCD-X, man. Much more worth it. Doesnt feel like a cheap knockoff. Real quality there..
@@omni6409 have you ever listened to arya or even hold them in real life ??
i am torn as well between the two
@@omni6409 lmao audeze and their driver issues, l/r problems, weight... they are trash compared to Arya
Can someone tell hifiman to reduce the arya price ?
I need one
6:42 Shouldn't you have said "Arya" instead of "Ananda"?
Probably, the names are easy to mix up haha
ruclips.net/video/Ak9WHse1OQs/видео.html
Price difference is HUGE. $700 vs $1600. I think Ananda offers a lot for it's price. I like Ananda with ''air'' eq boost above 10k. I think Hifiman's new focus should be adjusting egg shape earcup size. It should be a bit smaller. Along with swivel it will affect everything positively and restore some of the punch. LCD X with creator package is fine but Arya and Heddphone seems like the king around that price range. Heddphone needs an update though. That weight is not worth it end of the day. Did you review LCD 2 ? It seems like the best Audeze headphone with it's default tonality (from graphs) to me. I'm curious how it's against 2C, X, Ananda, Arya. Seems like it doesn't have the popularity of 2C and X.
Damn, why wasn't this review posted when I bought my 800S a year ago. :-( My impression from your review is that it's more musical with deeper bass extension. Seems like it overtakes the 800S in almost every respect.
It's more just a planar equivalent. Or very close at least.
Getting the HD800S is definitely NOT a mistake.
@@gwapster13 The 800S sound amazingly musical and emotionally engaging after a recent upgrade to my amp, an upgraded headphone cable, and a new contact enhancement product. But the headphone I'd eventually love to own is the ZMF Verite Open Back.
The one mechanical problem with the 800S that's rarely mentioned is the internal racheting system in the headband. The cheap plastic teeth broke on right side and it's going to be expensive to repair. Sennheiser knows about the problem but failed to address it in their design.
@@LorenzoNW that locking mech broke for what reason? Were you replacing the headband cushion pad? I just replaced mine because foam was already flattened, and yeah I could see why the thing can be fragile.
I'd spend 6K on a headphone for music and gaming
If you have that kind of money then Susvara would be a good choice?
@@versaleyang Abyss all the way
@@spetnaz777 Abyss is tuned like garbage
the Arya is barely acceptable in heaviness for me, and i even had to buy a third party headband cushion for it. the heddphone is a clear no way in hell, unless i find some DIY design to make it somehow become weightless.
Yep. That was my issue with them and why I had to return them. They sounded very good, but were too uncomfortable to wear.
haha you must be weak as hell, Arya is weightless compared to my audeze and I dont mind Audeze at all
@@soulfulfool what do you mean? It's the pressure and sweat on the top of the head/hair, so there is no muscle there afaik. the weight is causing breathability issues, so only modding it would fix that problem. i purchased cushions that create a space in that region.
@@Viewer13128 oh its that thought you have neck problems, yes Arya strap is cheap shit but I dont feel any pressure that must be anatomically your head structure
@@soulfulfool possibly. the headband concentrates weight instead of distributing weight. The cushions i bought distributed the weight and provided a ventilation space.
Pretty video, pedestrian review...
Hi Andrew - I have yet to hear a headphone with larger soundstage than LCD-X, I don’t have the Arya but I have HE1k V1 and my LCD-X sounds much larger - speaker like. Driving via IFI imicro dsd Black Label.
I bought the Arya and sent them back immediately. The Arya fakes soundstage by having peaks and dips in the high frequencies which results in an unnatural and exaggerated sound. It sounds different for the sake of sounding different. Detail retrieval is very nice though. Bass is way too low.
The focal clear is way better in every way except for detail retrieval.
I don't think you gave them time to settle in. IMO, my Aryas were bright, a little harsh, and bass light when fresh out of the box. But after pink noise overnight for about a week (~50hrs) and periodic music listening they started to settle in and open up substantially. Fast forward to now (6mos) and they are smooth, detailed, layered, and dynamic. Soundstage is huge and bass is deep, with tactile mids that can be felt. Most other cans sound like HPs, Aryas music comes out of nowhere, ultra black background. I'm still impressed.
Since this unit was sent directly by Hifiman, I would expect it is a hand picked unit. Would be interesting to see you measure a random unit from the Headphones.com inventory and see how the two compare.
Unit variation for hifiman headphones from what I can tell is generally minimal - at least compared to other planars. Differences show up when there are revisions that happen, and the Arya's revision was fairly public.
I came here to hear about - as the title says - a comparison to the Sennheiser HD800S....... and heard not a single word about the HD800s ?
What I don't understand is, why don't headphones just get measured as speakers? That way we can see if they're flat.... And whatever your own ears do to them that should be the natural way you hear. What I'm saying is put the microphones up to the speaker drivers and not in a dummy head.
Because the frequency response changes with coupling. The headphone creates a system with the ear. Also... We measure speakers at the ear drum too, it's just not commonly represented because there's less of a need to in most situations.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Yes I understand all that, but to compare headphones it's best just to see the raw data straight from the driver.
a little too much lower treble yeah
Not exactly, it's important to recognize that the Harman target rolls off the treble a bit, so it's fairly normal for headphones to measure a bit brighter by comparison. I think there are a few places that are more emphasized but it's really not out of balance.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow is the ananda a smoother ride?
@@dante19890 they're both smooth. The Ananda shows more deviation between 6-8khz probably. But it's a similar tuning.
OMG, HAIR! Nah, you look sexier without.