HiFiMAN Arya Full-size Over Ear Planar Magnetic Audiophile Adjustable Headphone

Product Information

Looking at solid state amps, I mostly use the Arya Stealth with the Ferrum Audio OOR, in combination with the Musician Pegasus DAC. The naturalness and imaging in this combo is impressive, as well as the bass control and decay. For me however, the Arya stealth sounds its absolute best in balanced mode with the 300B Envy tube amp from Feliks Audio. This combo simply is magical, like the 2 units were designed for each other. The sound stage, layering, detail retrieval and pace is incredible with this combo. Does this spoil the review a bit? Well, to a good degree, yes. Naturally, as the topic of stealth magnets comes up, the changes can almost be guessed 100% right. PS: I want to thanks Hifiman for sending this review sample out of the blue. I was expecting getting the Edition XS but will not complaint getting the Arya since XS might be very similar to Ananda ive review before... Headphones with strong timbral qualities to me are headphones like the HD 6XX family and the Susvara. The naturalness, especially in their mids, make listening to real instruments and vocal performances simply a mesmerising, an almost live experience.

But apparently there are people who like these for whatever reasons I can not understand. Certainly not because they play instruments and/or know how they sound in real live.

Soundstage wise the Arya Stealth is really good in both wide and depth, especially when in balanced mode. You get impressive layering and the decay and note extension is remarkable. The Arya Stealth sounds spacious and airy but it always remains realistic and natural. By going balanced, you will even increase the sound stage both in width and depth and you will get an even better level of separation and spaciousness between the notes. But being the "baby brother" means that the Arya Stealth Magnets has much of what the HE1000V2 has, but not as much. The Arya Stealth Magnets is detailed, but those details don't come through with quite the level of clarity and crispness as they do on the HE1000V2. While the low end is impactful on both headphones, I think it's more controlled on the HE1000V2, and I get more sub-bass with the HE1000V2. It's not a bass-heavy headphone, but it goes deep. The HE1000V2 also boasts the bigger soundstage. The lower midrange of the HiFiMAN Arya Stealth Magnet Version has a moderate level of depth and intensity that is sufficient to show a good sense of warmth and fullness, which is a must have while listen to male romantic male vocals such like Barry White and Isaac Hayes. Other male voices such like Elton John, Sting and David Bowie do sound pretty natural, emotional and with an impressive sense of clarity and resolution. The Hifiman Arya are exceptional planar headphones that offer an oversized spatial experience with top-notch imaging, transparency and clarity. NOTE: I will be reviewing the Stealth version here. This is the newest version of the Arya as the V2 has since been discontinued.

Bass on the Arya is about quality over quantity, but that isn’t to say they’re light on the low-end. The Arya Stealths have good sub-bass extension; the drivers push enough air that the lowest lows — the bass you can feel — comes through nice and strong. I found this to be especially true in electronic music and hip-hop. For those of you who’d like to know more about Hifiman and their founder, there’s always this interview we did with him: https://headfonia.com/q-n-a-saturday-hifiman/ As the frequency response suggests, the Arya has a flat bass, a 1 kHz midrange scoop, and plenty of upper mids and treble. Though I won’t be comparing them in this review, the difference between the Stealth and V2 is in the treble. Specifically, the positioning of the 5 kHz peak and additional gain in the upper treble region around the 10 – 14 kHz mark. Overall, the Arya has a clear tuning with bright treble that gives it a sense of vividity. BassThe new stealth magnets make the Arya a specific type of headphone. If you weren’t a fan of its floatier elements, then this version might satisfy you more. The range of accuracy on the stealth is greater than the original, but I personally preferred the more textured and open sound it had. Both versions are heavily articulate, but some more subtle elements get lost in translation. However, in terms of purity, this is definitely a big improvement. The powerful Fiio M17 (full review soon) is one of the best DAPs on the market right now. Not only is it powerful, but it is also technically strong, just like a high-end AK DAP. The synergy with the Arya Stealth is balanced mode is good and you here get the typical powerful bass and full mids, delivered in a smooth and musical way. The depth and layering here is very good, and there’s a nice sub bass rumble, but the bass isn’t as controlled as with the higher end desktop amps. If you have no desktop amp available, the M17 is the next best thing. Good with the Arya Stealth, but just not like a desktop amp. PROS: Great resolution and transparency, edgy definition, excellent imaging, beautiful female vocal with wide presence, open and spacious presentation After the pandemic started, the hobby sort of escalated for me. I previously owned the following headphones: HD58x > HD650 > Sundara > ZMF Aeolus > Arya V2. I currently own the ZMF Verite Closed, HD800s and yesterday I received the Arya Stealth edition. On the V2, vocals sounded a little thin and distant. EQ'ing the FR dip at 1500khz somewhat mitigated this for me. On the Stealth edition, I think the vocals sound natural without EQ'ing this dip.