I'm listening via iTunes Lossless -> iPad Pro 2019 -> RME ADI-2 DAC FS -> XLR -> Topping A90 -> Hart Audio Cables -> Arya(s). I have EQ'd according to Oratory1990s Harmon 2018 index for the OG Arya just to give it competitive bass at times, but have also listened to both with no EQ. Before people will go crazy about the wood veneer on such an expensive pair of headphones - chill. There are companies that used real wooden rings on their headphones in the past, and guess what...they tend to break, like a lot. Also, real wood increases weight, and this would have been everything that HiFiMAN doesn't stand for. A lot can be said about HiFiMAN's past regarding their build quality and materials used, but they always put comfort as their top priority. Isolation is nihil, so much so that you can still clearly hear you cat purring with music playing (true story!). That also applies in reverse and people can hear your music, so the Arya are definitely not headphones to use in offices, libraries and other shared spaces. Although I do not have the original Arya here, simply by comparing it to a lot of the previous generation HIFIMAN headphones and the Edition XS you can tell right away that the company has made a serious effort to deliver a weightier and slightly smoother house sound signature.

There’s nothing really new with the design of the Arya Stealth, and the metal and high grade plastic built headphone features the typical shape of earcups and headband as we have seen many times before. After spending a lot of quality time with the Arya, I have concluded that the treble is not too sharp or overly boosted. It’s just on another level from most other headphones. I have learned to appreciate the high clarity and detail. I have not tested a single hifiman product that could reproduce an authentic sound of an double bass for example. How can so many headphones from one company fail at an simple instrument? In early 2020, a trance genre super-trio composed of Ilan Bluestone (UK), Emma Hewitt (Australia), & Maor Levi (Israel) released their collaborative project called Elysian. The Arya ear cups will articulate in any direction, though the headband does not fold. Still, the pressure balance is excellent with the pressure strap and articulating pivot joints on the gimbal able to adjust laterally and vertically to get the fit just right. The huge teardrop-shaped or semi-oval cup with matching hybrid pads easily cleared my ears also so you will find no discomfort there also.We’re on the later side with this review but that also means I in the meantime got to listen to it for hundreds of hours. And I – spoiler alert – have enjoyed every single minute of it. Hifiman recommends 150 hours of burn-in for this particular headphone. The materials are a mix of plastic and steel and whilst by no means the lightest full-sized planar headphone on the market these days, the 430g weight is properly distributed and a fair result for a dual-sided magnet construction. I often see the HD800S and Arya compared, and of course Andrew famously called the Arya the “planar magnetic HD800S”. I can understand why, they have some very obvious things in common. Both are just slightly on the bright side of neutral, both are wide open, and both are excellent at soundstage, imaging, & detail. But in my opinion, that’s where their similarities end. I find them more different than they are the same. I would liken it to choosing finesse and musical joy (2020) or something much more technically perfected (2021) with a clear bass boost. There is no clear winner, it's up to what you like. I would not call the 2021 an upgrade, it really is practically a different model to me.

Treble is quite extended and this gives it a distinct sense of air and openness – it sounds light, almost delicate, and it counterbalances the otherwise massive bass presence well. Although it is a bit prominent in the lower region, it’s never fatiguing, or harsh, or excessive, though it does contribute to the hissing and sibilance of the mids. It offer a lot of small details that pop out clearly and are effortlessly heard. Just like in the other two sections, speed is very good here as well. Treble is not so much sparkly as it is shimmering: it is quietly giving you a good balance of energy and liveliness on one side and of politeness on the other. HiFiMAN Arya Comparisons The Arya is a bit brighter than the HD800S, though it’s also less peaky. Both take well to tubes, which surprised me (Valhalla 2 has very low impedance, so I guess it works better with planars than most OTL tube amps?). The tube effect is more apparent on the Arya.HiFiMAN is known for its relentless pursuit of technological innovation, consistently introducing groundbreaking advancements in the world of audio. The company's commitment to research and development has resulted in numerous patents and industry-first technologies that have set new benchmarks in the audio quality of headphones. One of HiFiMAN's most significant contributions to the industry is its development of planar magnetic headphones. Driven by a passion for superior audio reproduction, HiFiMAN revolutionized the headphone market by popularizing planar magnetic driver technology. Furthermore, HiFiMAN has continuously refined its technology, introducing advancements such as improved diaphragm materials, advanced magnet structures, and many more. These innovations have resulted in headphones that offer exceptional detail retrieval, speed, and clarity. This new Arya Stealth Magnet version features HIFIMAN’s recently developed stealth magnets, which feature a special shape that enables waves to pass through the magnets without generating interference. They use a nanometer (super-thin) diaphragm that guarantees fast response and the bare minimum of distortion. Jazz I’ve found can often go either way. Sometimes it sounds best on the 800, sometimes on the Arya. Sort of depends on my mood. Do I want my jazz to sound big and lush and luxurious, or do I want it to sound like the musicians are in my living room? Kinda depends on the day.

Maybe I have a very strange taste but to this date, I thought the every single of them were really bad. HiFiMAN Arya vs HiFiMAN Ananda: the Ananda and the Arya are somewhat similar, but the differences are enough to justify saying that they’re also quite different. The Arya have better bass extension as well as better layering and detail, plus they also have more bass in general; speed is better on the Arya as well, while physicality is comparable. Midrange is much brighter on the Ananda, where it has less presence in the lower region as well as more in the upper one – save for the peak in the upmost region of the Arya, where it is in fact brighter than the Ananda’s. Detail is slightly better on the Arya, which also has the upper hand when it comes to speed. Apart from the peak in the lower area on the Arya, the Ananda have more emphasised treble, although extension appears to be better on the Arya which also have better resolution. All technical aspects – soundstage, imaging and especially instrument separation – are better on the Arya.

Using Arya while at a desktop is a purse pleasure. You don’t even feel them on your head and you’re actually more likely to want them on your head than having a speaker setup, simply due to the convenience of having a small soundstage at the level of your head, without having to bother your neighbors, but still having access to that wide space and comfort of having almost nothing on your head. Thanks to the abundant padding of the angled earpads and to the wide headband, the Arya are extremely comfortable. Despite my very sensitive scalp, I can wear them for a few hours without discomfort or fatigue. This means that people with a normal scalp can probably wear them forever, or something close to that. They’re almost as comfortable as the HE-560, which I still find the most comfortable headphones on the market – the main difference between them and the Arya being that the HE-560 apply larger pressure on the sides of the head, while the Arya are much more relaxed from that perspective. The midrange, is also more dynamic, with a better texture and overall it sounds like HiFiMan Arya Stealth was a way more expensive headphone than the HD8XX. There's just more there, it sounds more lively, precise yet natural and pleasant. After all, planar-magnetic headphones are known for those perks, and the Arya Organic is a clear winner in this category as well.

I would write something more in this comparison, but I feel I can offend some people who are fans of modded HD8XX/HD800s, so I will stop here to summarize it with one sentence.

I actually appreciate this a lot. Including a stand for your headphones is a tradition long, long gone, and somehow we are always short on stands. So, while the included one is basic, it's better than no stand at all, and this is just great. Now let’s dive into the treble. That’s a very impressive part, it’s very fast, detailed, and sparkly, but not as bright as the one known from the predecessors - Arya SE, or even brighter Arya OG, but still, it’s one of the most detailed headphones I’ve ever listened to. On the other hand the treble is even more relaxed than in previous versions of Arya, so it’s not that harsh or fatiguing. Even poorly mastered songs, when played with this headphone sound, maybe I wouldn’t use the word “good” but “acceptable” is more appropriate.