HiFiman Arya Stealth Review: An Upgrade and a Sidegrade2024

Introduction

One company that has established a reputation for itself is HiFiMan, which specializes in planar headphones at all price points. I’ve had the opportunity to review the majority of HiFiMan’s current headphone lineup since I started writing for Heahttps://headphonis.com/dphonis.com. I’ve written about the HE400se, Sundara, Edition XS, and Ananda, starting from the bottom up. Even though their frequency responses were fairly similar, I always found that I appreciated each step up for a different reason.

I have the $1,300 HiFiMan Arya in front of me today. The Arya, which retailed for $1,600 at launch, is, in my opinion, the final headphone in HiFiMan’s current lineup before the $6,000 flagship Susvara. In addition to fierce competition from headphones in its price range, such as the renowned Sennheiser HD800S and Focal Clear, the Arya will need to significantly outperform the HiFiMan Ananda in order to be a tempting upgrade. We’ll see if the Arya can succeed.

HiFiMAN Arya – Product Summary

Build and Comfort

Large circular cups, a suspension headband strap, and thin metal yokes on the side are all features that the Arya shares with the Ananda. The Arya is entirely made of metal, with the exception of the cup rims. It’s interesting to note that every cup has an endless 360-degree rotation. In addition to the extensive vertical adjustments, the Arya fits my head quite well. Although it is not too tight, the clamp force is robust. A headband’s suspension strap features a tiny layer of foam cushioning and feels incredibly soft. It disperses the Arya’s weight effortlessly. With the Arya, I don’t experience pressure spots or headband sores. Overall, there have been absolutely no concerns about comfort.

The HiFiMan Arya Stealth was measured using a GRAS 43AG measuring apparatus, which is industry standard. The Harman target, a reference frequency response created using customer choices, is shown by the dotted black line. The measurement of the headphone in question is shown by the red line. This effectively illustrates how much the frequency response of the headphones deviates from the intended level. However, keep in mind that the aim is extremely smooth, and a decent headphone sound does not require rigorous adherence to the Harman target.

The Arya has a flat bass, a 1 kHz midrange scoop, and lots of upper mids and treble, as the frequency response indicates. The treble is where the Stealth and V2 differ from one another, though I won’t be comparing them in this review. In particular, the placement of the 5 kHz peak and extra boost in the high treble range, which is around 10–14 kHz. The Arya’s sharp treble and clean tuning give it a sense of vibrancy overall.

Bass

The bass of the Arya is quick, as one might anticipate from a HiFiMan planar. Where single notes once appeared, double kicks now occur. The lines of the bass guitar are well-defined and under control. Yet the Arya’s bass extends extremely deep, even though its decay characteristics are relatively short. Rich, bassy instruments like the floor toms or the double bass have a sense of size that the graph doesn’t capture.

It nearly seems to be converting the massive planar diaphragms of the Arya into musical depth. It gives the impression of depth and presence more than most other headphones, as though the double bass were standing right next to me and I were listening to the full force of the strings.

The Arya, ironically, has no dynamic weight. There isn’t much impact or smash. Although this is common all HiFiMan planars, I find it more noticeable on the Arya. Maybe it’s because the Focal Radiance was the last headphone I tested, or maybe it’s because the Arya’s far higher price raises more questions. In any case, there is a notable bass compression in the Arya. It will be up to you to determine whether or not this bothers you.

Mids and Treble

In terms of tone, I’m noticing the 1 kHz scoop more than with the HiFiMan items I’ve tested in the past. Vocals often look stretched and timbrally thin due to the 5 kHz hump. Female vocals, which inherently have a less bodied tone in that area, exhibit it the most. Male vocals are undoubtedly impacted, but the effect is less pronounced and subtle. Sibilance is inevitable due to the upper treble peaks at 5 kHz. This will be perfect for you if you enjoy HiFiMan tuning. However, the Arya Stealth won’t be able to persuade you otherwise.

The contrast between the various note sounds is improved for instruments by the 1 kHz scoop. For instance, rather than being one cohesive drum, the snare’s body is clearly distinct from the sizzle of its wires. Or how the acoustic guitar’s body and string picking are frequently heard as two instruments rather than one. The Arya has the odd ability to present a delicate upper mids touch individually while also rendering the richness of bottom mids in instruments.

One way to characterize the Arya’s treble is as exceptionally crunchy. Some tunes have waves of crystalline shimmering that quickly diminish after the hats’ initial attack, giving them an extremely crunchy tone that doesn’t seem quite natural. However, the wash of its notes has a pleasant tone in slower songs with larger cymbals. Here, the recording quality is crucial.

Presentation

The Arya is an extremely open headphone, just like the other HiFiMan egg-shaped planars. No sound leaks more than sound. The soundstage is spacious and dispersed. Although there is some fudging in its location, which encourages that diffuse staging, the imaging is extremely nuanced. Layering and separating instruments is simple. The way the instruments interact is very coherent. Although it’s more about defining notes like the kick into double kicks or elucidating an additional electric guitar stroke than it is about extracting new notes from the background, the resolution is amazing. With the Arya, there is a general feeling of clarity.

Dynamism is the characteristic that the Arya’s technical performance lacks. Crescendos appear to build but never quite reach the summit of their ascent. Although floor toms can produce a loud, boomy sound, the full effect of the sound is not always there. To be fair, there is a dynamic range in the Arya. It’s not as though music exists on a flat plane. It’s simply not like the Focal headphones, whose dynamic drivers seem to be able to pull notes out of thin air.

In my opinion, several forms of sound presentations have advantages. The enveloping presence of the Arya is ideal for “audiophile” music, which includes well-recorded orchestral or choral songs. In contemporary upbeat pop/rock tunes that aim to capture your attention with each note’s bump, it falters.

Comparisons to the HiFiMan Ananda

Unexpectedly, the Arya outperforms the Ananda. When compared to the Ananda, its presentation has a shimmer reminiscent of HD. Everything has improved in clarity, sharpness, resolution, and refinement. Though not significantly, there is a noticeable improvement. This is partly because of the tuning difference: the Ananda tilts somewhat warmer than the Arya. The Ananda’s vocals are a little more subdued and grounded, whilst the Arya’s are more forward and airy. Although sibilance is present in both headphones, the Ananda’s seem to have a harsher lower treble peak than the Arya’s, which I find easier to handle due to their strong but fleeting upper treble spikes.

There is a stronger feeling of instrument spacing and the soundstage appears more expansive. It’s interesting to see that compared to the Arya, the Ananda does have a little more bass grunt. Bass lines are slightly more powerful on the Ananda, despite the reduced clarity and resolution.

The Ananda and Arya Stealth are contrasted here. They essentially have the same graph as the majority of HiFiman models. I do, however, much prefer the Arya when they are side by side. It might just be a matter of fit; I think the Arya fits my head a little better than the Ananda, so it’s more comfortable.

When comparing it to the Ananda, the question is not if it is superior, but rather by how much. Does it make around twice as much money? No, in my opinion. The Arya begins to feel the effects of diminishing rewards. The upgrade from the HE400se to the Sundara and then to the Edition XS/Ananda is not comparable. You might be better off spending that money elsewhere if you are on a tight budget. However, the final criterion is crucial: if you’re on a tight budget. The pursuit of that small improvement is the foundation of the audio hobby.

If I had to choose between them and price was no consideration, I would usually go with the Arya. Unless you want to double or triple your budget to purchase the HE1000se or Susvara, the Arya is basically your only choice if you’re looking for a planar headset with a broad, diffuse stage and an HD800(S) level of technical performance.

Comparisons to the Sennheiser HD800S

In relation to the HD800S, how does the Arya stack up against this timeless masterpiece? In terms of tone, the HD800S is smoother with a more balanced tuning, while the Arya has a slightly V-shaped profile with a crisp vividness. When comparing AB, that 1 kHz scoop is very apparent. Even though the HD800S’s sound still has a slight edge, it’s far more regulated than the Arya’s.

Technically speaking, these headphones are on an equal footing. Both offer easy resolution, excellent image, and spacious, diffused soundstages. The HD800S has exceptional low-level detail retrieval capabilities and is somewhat more resolving. Despite having a dynamic driver, the HD800S’s bass isn’t all that more dynamic than the Arya’s. Its fade is longer than that of the Arya’s sharply defined transients, but they are comparable in terms of bass quality, in my opinion.

The choice between the two, in my opinion, boils down to three factors:

• Would you like a more enthusiastic tune? Next, consider the Arya’s vibrant personality.
• Are you looking for a dynamic or planar driver? Regarding the bass response, each has advantages.
• Do you want a dependable, tested build? For Sennheiser’s renowned build quality, choose the HD800S.

Should You Buy It?

Yes, but only after making a gentle suggestion. Although it’s a good headphone, the Ananda has a lot of diminishing returns. Not to mention other possibilities like Audeze’s planar headphones like the MM-500 and the Sennheiser HD800S. Even though these solutions are a little more costly, I believe you should choose the one that best suits your needs if you’re prepared to spend that much on audio equipment. And for Arya, that is the true existential dilemma. The Arya is the most sensible choice if you truly liked the sound presentation of the Edition XS or Ananda and wish to upgrade straight to that.