The HIFIMAN Arya Organic is going to be a divisive set of headphones, but popular enough with those who like it to be a commercial success. For once there's an open-back HIFIMAN with a defined bass shelf, and it delivers on the experience for electronic/house/trance music lovers. The lack of any dampening means this large driver is pushing an ethereal experience inside, and outside, your head. There are many who adore the Arya Organic for this reason and the relative warmth in the mids can make for a sound signature which many would indeed call "organic." It comes in at the same $1300 the previous Arya debuted at—incidentally, that Arya Stealth now sells for $900—so I can't complain about HIFIMAN continually revising headphones and increasing prices. If anything, it tends to lower prices of its existing models which makes for an even more confusing state of affairs. The HE1000 Stealth now costs $1400, all of $100 more than the Arya Organic, and it is a superior set of headphones in my opinion. So even before we look at other brands, HIFIMAN has made it hard for the Arya Organic.

I consider the HE1000 Stealth a better set because it is significantly more balanced and listenable over longer periods of time. The Arya Organic unfortunately goes too far down the brightness road to be sibilant and fatiguing for me, and this is even before we get to the treble where the Arya Organic has arguably way too much air and presence for anyone. The bass shelf does help to an extent, but the end result is a product which I really can only recommend to sub-bass and mid-bass lovers, and the latter with some EQ work too. There are enough people in the world who will like the Arya Organic for this and perhaps the aesthetics will also help tip things in favor of the set, but realistically I can't recommend the Arya Organic when the HE1000 Stealth is right there with the exact same chassis, comfort, fit, and seal too.