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

Product Information

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. Come late 2021, HIFIMAN refreshed the Arya with the new Stealth Magnet Edition or the Arya Stealth Magnet Version officially. This is but one of a wide range of HIFIMAN headphones being revised with their new stealth magnet technology. Louis’s review of the Edition XS Stealth Edition a few weeks ago is one such example. Thanks, Wim. Playing to stereotype but keep it to copper with a good-sized gauge and wire count. I like it sounding smooth and beefy. Shortly speaking, if you are tired of the harshness of HiFiMAN Arya V3 Stealth Magnet Edition, or at least you’re tired of the length of the name of your headphone, then you should definitely update to Arya Organic. But if you’re fine with the treble then you probably won’t spot any difference surplus, then you can only look for a good deal for Arya Organic and try to highball your "old" Arya V3.

Sparkle is generously produced. To be honest, the high frequencies seem to be vastly improved over the first and second-generation Arya cans. Timbre They have a focused character overall and seem to have an improved tonality but a tone sweep revealed my set had a slight right channel deficiency and channel imbalance between 7kHz and 7.5. Perhaps this will iron itself out with further break-in time but that was undetectable during listening.The Arya Organic is a strong contender for the "Product Of The Year" award as of now, and it is going to be hugely successful, I'm sure about that. We said it a few times in the past, but they really give us all the reason in the world to do so, so here it is: Good job HiFiMAN. Overall, the midrange area seemed well balanced with lots of micro-nuanced compliments in listening tests and certainly produced a pleasant, listenable tonality. Treble The 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 Arya Stealth treble coloration is probably best described as finely balanced with a default clean quality. Slip it some brighter mixes or a bright hard-edged sounding source and chances are you will hear that come through. If you felt the Ananda was too relaxed sounding the Arya ups the energy, improves the dynamic range, and makes everything just that little bit more exciting to listen to. In short, it engages you rather than simply presenting the music passively. But as the commercial ad says, there’s more. The woven exterior crystalline copper cable is terminated with a 6.35mm plug and that’s all you get so connectivity out of the box is limited. I would have preferred a 3.5mm terminated cable with a 6.35mm adapter instead. What exactly does a stealth magnet do, and what are its advantages? These magnets allow the signal to pass through the driver while avoiding interference. With less wave diffraction impacting the quality of the output, the signal flow is allowed to be purer than originally before. SoundstageUp until the launch of the Meze Empyrean and Elite, I would have said the Arya Stealth form factor is one of the most comfort and well-balanced headphones you can get. It still is, though at 430g there are lighter in the market. Before its revision, the Arya was one of my favorites from HiFiMAN because of its immaculate soundstage. Everything on the Arya is crisp and airy, culminating in a spacious stereo field that’s highly immersive and wide. Now with the stealth magnets, a slightly different effect is presented. Most of what makes the Arya great isn’t lost in translation, but I could definitely spot the difference immediately. The sound elements appear a lot less floaty, instead of focusing on stricter positioning for more accurate imaging. It still keeps a wide and spacious presentation, but the layers feel a lot less exaggerated, filling in the space between sound elements with more tonal resonance. You still get a great sense of height to the sound, as the image comes in with a large display, but I felt there was a feeling of distance that was taken away. Sounds in the original Arya bloomed from an intended source, but here the response is a little more linear. Low End