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

Product Information

When it comes to its bass performance, the Arya Stealth delivers quite well with a good amount of extension all the way down to the sub-bass region. However, the bass on the Arya is not for the bassheads. I think it sounds clean and precise but without the (over) emphasis that we usually hear on some warm-sounding headphones or bassy headphones. The good thing is, you can give the bass region a little bit of a bump using an EQ to suit your taste. Mids and Highs Are Its Forte Let’s start off with the things I think Hifiman should improve with the Arya, or perhaps some of their top-tier headphones in general. I think the Arya has an excellent design overall and it looks aesthetically pleasing and a head-turner. I like how it looks and the color. However, I wish Hifiman also used a leather headband support instead of pleather. Similar to what they use on the HE1000 V2 or Susvara. The perforated headband support would look nice on the Arya in my opinion.

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/ The Arya Stealth, a new version (Version 3 or V3) of the Arya is now available. It now comes with Stealth Magnets but still retails for the same price as the original Arya. That is unless you are talking or eating. The size and length of the ear cups will result in possible pressure on some users’ mandibles (lower jaws). Movement may disrupt the seal of the ear pads, thereby affecting the sound. This issue can be even more irritating if you have facial hair. Next, we’ll head to Asheville, North Carolina, USA, to visit with multi-instrumentalist sisters Leah Song and Chloe Smith, founders of the band Rising Appalachia, an American Appalachian folk music group. Their song, Mississippi, is a fascinating blend of styles and incredibly well mixed. The treble elements help to create more distant imagery in the music. Unique design, well-engineered and built, high-quality materials. One of the best aspects? No squeaks or creaks whatsoever. Where to BuyThe Arya Stealth Magnet Version are a follow-up to the original Arya, introducing their new acoustically invisible stealth magnet technology. First an introduction: first time poster here from the Netherlands. I started this hobby in the beginning of 2020 with the Sennheiser HD58x, and have been lurking this subreddit since. The genres I listen to mostly are Indie, Neo-Psychedelia and some (Post) Punk. Examples: The War on Drugs, Beach House, Future Islands, Idles. Built quality-wise, I think the Hifiman Arya v3 is designed and built with quality in mind. While I am not a fan of some of the materials used on the headphone, like the plastic parts. I think it was necessary to keep its weight down. Though, I don’t think it will add a noticeable amount of weight if Hifiman used real leather instead of pleather. But if you are not a basshead, or would like to explore or listen to your music from a different perspective, you might want to try the Arya. It’s revealing, and you may hear tones, nuances, and minute details that you haven’t noticed before with other headphones. Cable length and type: 1.5m (6.6ft) 6.35mm to dual 3.5mm detachable single crystalline copper cable

For noggins too small to qualify for the BHC, the Arya may be too large. For those with S or XS brain cages, these will likely not be a good match for you. The object in the picture is larger than it appears.

Sound​

Before we get into the product itself, I should note that I do not own the original Arya headphones, so this review is that of a “fresh listener” to the Arya line. With that in mind, I have listened to many other HIFIMAN headphones, including the Ananda , Sundara , HE-R10D , and both versions of the Deva . I’ve also spent a good amount of time with other excellent planar magnetic headphones, such as the Dan Clark Audio AEON Open-X from Drop and the Audeze LCD-GX . If I would have known about this I would have waited instead of getting my 1000 V1, c'est la vie. My V1 are still the best combination of soundstage with precision imaging and subbass extension I have heard to date. The Arya Stealth comes in a very simple box. As we have seen before, the box also is the storage case. The Arya doesn’t come with a carrying case, but then again, it’s not really a portable headphone.

The Arya Stealth uses my preferred HIFIMAN form factor and design language and it is quite a classic in all honesty. I would say most HIFIMAN fans would prefer this over the round cup HE6 style Gen 1 design and perhaps even the newer single band heavily cushioned options seen on the HE-R10D. The Arya Stealth’s tuning shows a perfect mix of bass presence, mid naturalness and top end excitement. All-in-all it’s a very good and easy to like tuning. Call me impressed! Detail, technical and extension wise, the Arya Stealth is still playing below the HE-1K series and of course the Susvara, but it makes up for it with its musicality, energy, layering, addictive bass presentation, mid timbre and treble liveliness. It all just works perfectly together and that’s how you build award winning headphones. The Arya Stealth isn’t the cheapest, but you get so much in return that’s ridiculous. Sound-wise this is a hard to beat headphone in the segment. Highly addictive. The metal frame above, for all except the most giant of heads, will remain above the strap and not come into close enough proximity to ever feel on your head. The asymmetrical ear cups have complete freedom to articulate (rotate and tilt) and far more than enough movement to adapt to most human heads.

Tech​

For those with the Edition XS thinking is it worth the upgrade then yes, it is on a different level. They share the same broad house tuning but you hear a lot more information and delicate cues with the Arya Stealth driver. Its a Arya that is moving toward the Harman Target using Stealth Tech, yet retaining the Hifiman somewhat analytical sound.

However, since I prefer neutral-sounding headphones, whether it’s warm-leaning or a bit bright, I don’t think the Arya is overly bright. To my ears, it has a good amount of treble extension, without being sibilant or too edgy or too analytical. After a slight bump on its 8Khz frequency, it drops to 9Khz. I think this is why it doesn’t get too “hot” or fatiguing to the ears. Arya vs LCD-X I didn’t dismantle the driver even though it uses a standard Phillips screw. Some parts in the driver area are plastic, and I don’t want to damage the driver. I put a light on the other side of the driver and you can see the magnets through the screen covering. The driver inside measures 65mm x 100mm, and it is said to be larger than the driver used on the Sundara or Ananda. Overall Build Quality and ComfortHiFiMAN Arya Stealth — HEDDphone ONE — ZMF Auteur OG Zebrawood LTD — AKG K340 — Stanton Dynaphase Sixty (modded) That means higher pitching notes have a slightly bright overtone but that never seems to translate to an overly thin or sibilant quality through the raised upper mids. Synergy with sources both in terms of tonal bias and output power can calm it down or amplify it. Timbre