HIFIMAN - Arya Unveiled

Fun can w too much bass and treble for me.  HEK Stealth and Arya U both better as is a refurbed or used HE-6 SE or SE 2.

If you’re willing to EQ for impact the Arya is a good bet. Clear MG probably better tuning for you out of the box. Bit of a left field suggestion but check out the ZMF Bokeh Closed. Seems to fit your criteria. Not sure about shipping/pricing to the EU though.

Absolutely. I use that and Arya unveiled as my only two headphones now… but let’s see how long that lasts lol.

The E3 has more of an upper-mid emphasis, less treble and more bass. The forwardness in the upper-mids is what gives that sense of “clarity” and detail with, for example, vocals. The bass is interesting. You obviously get a much stronger rumble and sense of impact and low-end heft. However, the Arya unveiled, being quite linear, actually has more mid-upper bass warmth to my ears. The E3 drops down a bit in that region which makes it sound leaner in comparison. The treble is also interesting. Arya Unveiled is definitely brighter overall. More air, shimmer, all that stuff. E3 is smoother, tamer but still well-extended. That said I find the Arya Unveiled to be better tuned overall compared to the past Hifiman headphones. Much better sense of overall tonal balance. Mids feel like they have body and appropriate warmth, and the treble, while still bright, doesn’t have the same level of spiciness that I could not stand. It’s also very easy to EQ so that’s a big plus. Hope that helps; let me know if you have any other questions.

I actually think the HE1000 Unveiled is the worst open headphone Hifiman currently makes with its reaaaally excessive treble and weird midrange tone combined with the flat upper bass and low mids I complain about with the 1266 to a worse degree. I think the Empyrean 2 is a wildly terrible headphone too…a hilarious amount of treble and really muddy bass. I think the 105 AER does what I think the Empyrean 2 is trying to do in a way that makes more sense. The Empyrean 2 sounds like it could have been a cheap headphone sold at Best Buy; I was so wildly pissed off when I heard it for the first time and subsequent listens only showed more issues. However I think the Arya Unveiled isn’t bad, just have to go into it understanding that it’s a very different presentation. I’ve met plenty of people that like the snappy attack and decay that planars have, and I do like my Stax and, to a lesser degree, my Caldera for when I want that specific sound. But for actual long term use it just sounds really weird to me, like overstuffing a kick drum but everything sounds that overdamped. I’ve been really, really jaded about the headphone hobby for the past few years because companies kept releasing slop like the Empyrean 2 and the ADX7000 is the headphone I’ve been waiting for since I started the hobby in 2009. I’ve gotten a lot of flak over the years for being overly negative about stuff so it feels so weird to be excited about a headphone. The ADX7000 may be a little safe for some people but the Empyrean 2 is a goddamn awful headphone and I’m still frustrated that they didn’t instead try to improve upon the original Empyrean, which had some neat tricks.

Over? HE1000SE. I have two Arya Unveiled and the Stealths (and many others), but there’s just something another SE that only can be beaten by good speakers.

If anyone finds the HE1K SE or Arya Unveiled for under a thousand, DEFINITELY jump on it...

I haven't tried the DCA, but from everything I've heard, experienced, and seen from reviews, even the best closed planars can't compete with good open-back planars. So if isolation isn't a huge priority, I'd eliminate that. The LCD doesn't have a ton of advantages to Hifiman, and if comfort is a concern, I'd eliminate that as well. I think it comes down to Focal vs Hifiman, and I think for your EQ preference you might prefer the Focal. That said, I personally prefer the Hifiman sound signature. But I just EQ a bit more bass, and the treble peaks for Hifiman don't bother me. The Focals I've tried actually bother me more in the treble. Generally, that part is really subjective.

We have similar needs. 1 and 4 might be at odds with each other though. Energetic cans tend to fatigue fast. They grab more attention and jump at you. Arya Unveiled seems to be amazing and close to perfect but i'm not sure if it's energetic and punchy. Focal and Audeze both have not so great tuning imo, not great comfort, also i have doubts in sub bass of Focal. New Hifiman HE600 worth looking in to. HE6se also but it has questionable build, comfort, efficiency. Arya Organic probably fits you best but it will be bright and fatiguing. HE1000 Stealth might be your best bet in being smoother yet still engaging. I used HE1000se last 2 years. I loved everything about them except they werent engaging and fun. I used Arya Stealth before and i'd say they were engaging and fun but also fatiguing. I think the safest recommendation here is HE600 if your head is small because i heard they clamp hard on big heads. I'm thinking about HE1000 Stealth and HE6se V2 for myself. HE1000 platform has great build, comfort and sound quality imo. HE6se lack in build and comfort but people say they have legendary slam and tactile sound. What i recommend for you is Arya Unveiled and HE600. Both have excellent tuning. All you need is a good bass shelf. Arya will give you more stagey sound, HE600 will give you more energetic sound. If you want only 1 headphone then weigh your priorities. Maybe HE1000 Stealth. I personally feel like HE600 is the safest recommendation out there. It probably has a sound that will be liked by everyone but not gonna have some of the goodies of eggshape ones. Beware the fit. Very comfy for some, unusable for others.

I have just got an arya stealh, my man… they are absolute beast after hd 650.

Skip Sennheiser. I've had the 660s, 650, 6XX, 600 and the 800s (twice). The Arya is much better then the 800s and theres a massive gap between the 800s and the 6 series headphones.

To me the 650/600 sounds flat, has no excitement, no punch, smaller staging. They're not even close to being on the same level as the Arya. My preference of course

I've had both, they're not even close to being as good as the Arya while weighing considerably more and feeling like you're wearing bricks on your head. I get people like the LCD-X and it EQs well but you can't EQ the weight of them