HIFIMAN Arya (2021 Stealth Magnets) + Apos Flow Cable

[VSG]

The HIFIMAN Arya gets a stealth magnet revision, which makes this premium set of headphones more efficient to drive off amplifiers. We examine its tuning and technical performance, gauge its synergy with different music genres, and pair it with the Apos Flow replacement cable.

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[Space Lynx]

@VSG What are your thoughts on HIFIMAN Ananda? That is my favorite headphone of all time, but at the time I reviewed it over on Head-Fi it cost $999, so was a no go for me. I mailed it on to the next reviewer in line with much sadness.

I like Ananda better than Arya and Jade II e-stat. Doesn't make sense considering those two are much more expensive, I also liked Ananda better than Sundara. Problem with Ananda was the head band, my head is an odd shape, so it simply wouldn't fit my head comfortably even on the lowest setting. Guess I must have been dropped on my head as a baby, who knows

 

[VSG]

@VSG What are your thoughts on HIFIMAN Ananda? That is my favorite headphone of all time, but at the time I reviewed it over on Head-Fi it cost $999, so was a no go for me. I mailed it on to the next reviewer in line with much sadness.

I like Ananda better than Arya and Jade II e-stat. Doesn't make sense considering those two are much more expensive, I also liked Ananda better than Sundara. Problem with Ananda was the head band, my head is an odd shape, so it simply wouldn't fit my head comfortably even on the lowest setting. Guess I must have been dropped on my head as a baby, who knows

I have never heard the Ananda, or really most of the HIFIMAN headphones, so I can't really speak much about it unfortunately. I have here the HE400se and the HE1000se in various stages of review, it was Frederik who checked out the other headphones from the company.

 

[Antykain]

I have the Drop HIFIMAN HE-5XX and the Sundara.. Both are VERY nice headphones imo.. I have considered stepping up to the Ananda.. all the headphone reviewers usually have pretty high praise for the Ananda, and these days they can be picked up for ~$700 or thereabouts.

About those Apos cables.. Never used those, but I do have quite a few cables from Hart Audio. Excellent quality cables that are fairly priced..

 

[VSG]

I have the Drop HIFIMAN HE-5XX and the Sundara.. Both are VERY nice headphones imo.. I have considered stepping up to the Ananda.. all the headphone reviewers usually have pretty high praise for the Ananda, and these days they can be picked up for ~$700 or thereabouts.

About those Apos cables.. Never used those, but I do have quite a few cables from Hart Audio. Excellent quality cables that are fairly priced..

Yeah, I've heard good things about Hart cables also. As for the Ananda, I'll also mention that the recently released Edition XS is getting rave reviews and compared favorably with the Ananda while costing far less. It isn't available internationally yet though, at least from authorized dealers.

 

[VulkanBros]

HIFIMAN EDITION XS

Impressive Sound With Planar Magnetic Driver Hifiman has expertise in designing and developing planar magnetic headphones. They have multiple successful products which benefit from planar magnetic drivers. The latest Edition XS uses a newly developed planar magnetic driver with an ultra-thin...

www.linsoul.com

$460

 

[VSG]

HIFIMAN EDITION XS

Impressive Sound With Planar Magnetic Driver Hifiman has expertise in designing and developing planar magnetic headphones. They have multiple successful products which benefit from planar magnetic drivers. The latest Edition XS uses a newly developed planar magnetic driver with an ultra-thin...

www.linsoul.com

$460

It's not an authorized dealer either, so I can't recommend purchasing this knowing there's no support coming from HIFIMAN.

 

[theglaze]

I just replaced the same headband on my HE-400i, your zoomed in shot perfectly shows the wear point and I appreciate that you bring it up.

it is still one of the most open sets in that regard, just not necessarily for gaming, if you are weird like me and try it out with these

Which parts of the Arya 2021 design do not lend well to gaming, in particular, positional audio? Do the elongated cups disturb the soundstage for 3D positioning? The circular cups with my 400i seem to handle it well.

 

[VSG]

I just replaced the same headband on my HE-400i, your zoomed in shot perfectly shows the wear point and I appreciate that you bring it up.



Which parts of the Arya 2021 design do not lend well to gaming, in particular, positional audio? Do the elongated cups disturb the soundstage for 3D positioning? The circular cups with my 400i seem to handle it well.

As mentioned in the review, the imaging field is more centered in front of you. As such, sounds coming from the sides are harder to pin-point in 3D space. The cups themselves aren't as big a deal provided you don't break the seal.

FYI for your HE-400i. I recommend using a stand that suspends the headphones with the steel headband itself and not the support band to minimize the same issue happening again.

 

[VulkanBros]

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[VSG]

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Thanks for sharing! I can't speak for the non-stealth version, but I can vouch for the HE400se even at $150. The $130 makes it even better, I am going through the review process of the same as we speak.