Arya Unveiled

Love my Arya Stealth. I added Dekoni Elite Velour pads that fixed the bass, improved vocals and took out the spicy treble. Perfect to my ears compared to so many headphones I tried. Only my Arya Unveiled superseded these. Plus the upcoming HE1000 Unveiled will supersede this. https://preview.redd.it/tz8ompbi2zvg1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed9dc86b33d623f334bf1ee5580ff71e12186591

I really enjoyed testing this out over the weekend. It was nice and smooth. It definitely scales well with source. First I was using an Ibasso Machiato with it and sound was boomy and muddy. Once I connected a Chord Mojo 2 I could appreciate it even more. The overall comfort was where I had problems. Coming from Hifiman planars the round cups were pinching me a bit. The top foam is also something that should not exist. It was like a rock on my head and really poorly done (I could even see the glue sticking out). Having said that the driver is definitely very capable. The bass is tactile and has attack (reminded me of my FT1). The overall presentation is great and vocals sounded full and warm. Having said that I felt that it was missing soundstage. I was comparing it with my Arya Unveiled which I bought also last week and it sounds way better than this. For a dynamic headphone, this is best I have listened to. I think with EQ it can be great. But I prefer airy and open presentation with some sparkle and D1 misses that. Plus the overall, darkness is a bit too much for me. If I didn’t have the Arya Unveiled I would’ve picked it up even with its flaws. Great review and very detailed. Enjoy your headphones, it really is the best dynamic driver I have heard. https://preview.redd.it/iklvn5kidcsg1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14cd52b5bd9f37c3edfeff2eef2d8b85d1bd3e56

I tried both but settled on Arya Stealth because the HE1000 Stealth was too bright for me. In gaming the explosions would sound piercing to my ears. I think Arya Stealth is the max brightness I can take. Even though graphs may not show the real difference, it was definitely not worth it FOR ME. The very minor detail retrieval was muddied by the piercing sounds that caused me ear pain. On Arya Stealth I do not need to EQ anything and run them stock with the following enhancements: \- K13 R2R - provides full details but tames ever so slightly treble compared to delta sigma DACs \- Dekoni Elite Velour pads - tames treble and adds better bass and mids definition that helps with treble I even tried both of those enhancements to HE1000 Stealth to no avail and sent them back. Was a bit disappointed as many people told me I would get bigger soundstage or higher detail retrieval but for my ears it backfired. I could not perceive the bigger soundstage and details were exactly the same to my ears. To answer your original question - Arya Stealth is absolutely the best headphone I have used for gaming (both SP and MP). I have had it for now 4-5 months and am super pleased by it after trying over 100+ headphones. I usually play COD BO7 and BF6 with it. Hope this helps. YMMV. P.S. I am 2-4K and 8-10K treble sensitive.

You can do a frequency sweep - it will be from 20 Hz to 20 KHz and figure out if you wince/or it pinches you at a specific spot. Even if it doesn't my limited learning has to be that I need to try it out in a specific circumstance. For example, I need the grenades to be going off repeatedly in Nuketown to wince at HE1000 Stealth. Other options is usually female vocals. I A/B tested Arya Stealth and HE1000 Stealth and for example in a song by Selena Gomez she was saying TRUSSSS ME on HE1000 Stealth and TRUST ME on Arya Stealth. That meant that to my ears it was sibilant and I could not hear certain consonants in that song (it sounded wrong to me). As I said, everyone is different so I am sure there are thousands who don't have this issue but among Hifiman planars, I can only use possibly Edition XV (I own it), Arya Stealth (I own it), Arya Unveiled (I want to own it) and Susvara/Susvara Unveiled. All other stuff I tried like Arya Organic, HE1000 Stealth, HE1000 SE, HE1000 Unveiled, all the Ananda line and Edition XS are too bright for my ears. They actually hurt me so I can't really use 'em. :D.

Arya Stealth (love this headphone), Hifiman HE1000 Stealth (but too sibilant for me) or Arya Unveiled (which I picked up yesterday for 1000$ new). Meze would be 109 Pro. Hedd D1 would be another option. Maybe a DCA Noire XO. Fostex 616 was also thoroughly enjoyable to me. That’s all I can think of. Edit: saw you picked up Arya Stealth. Great choice.

My current endgame is Arya Unveiled. I tried a lot of cans and this was the best one for me. Next up, I might get HEKU or SUSU but not this year. Other option I really liked was ZMF Caldera and Focal Utopia. Until then I think Arya Unveiled will do nicely. P.S. I tried Audeze LCD-X, LCD-2C (open), LCD-2C (closed), LCD S20, LCD-3, LCD, 4z, LCD-5 and CBRN2. The two I really liked were LCD-2C open and Audeze Maxwell 2. I walked out with Audeze Maxwell 2 which sounded even better than CBRN2 to me. I know it might be a nub thing to say but I don’t have any popular opinions and in my experience after trying over 100 cans is that money doesn’t mean better sound to me. And most audiophile recommendations are not for me. YMMV.

Went to an audio store to try out the 3 planars that I short listed after lots of trial and error. Tried everything from ZMF cans to Meze to Fostex and beyond. Ended up with head to head of LCD-X vs Arya Unveiled vs HE1000 Unveiled LCD-X Pros \- Great impactful bass (reminds me of my Audeze Maxwell 2 post EQ) \- Surprisingly vocals didn’t feel as recessed as FR would have you believe \- Sparkle up top \- Good low end, never felt muddy or boomy \- Planar that felt it was in between Planar and Dynamics \- Organic sound with body Cons \- Those 612 g destroyed my neck within half hour. And I already daily an Audeze Maxwell 2 which is 560 g almost \- Pads got hot \- Can be shouty for some higher pitched vocals \- Layering and separation was less than what I expected; I felt Audeze Maxwell 2 does it better \- Small soundstage Arya Unveiled Pros \- Amazing organic smooth sound \- Great warm vocals \- Beautiful timbre \- Bass is clean and fast \- Top end is fantastic and never fatiguing \- No comfort issues Cons \- Some tracks can get shouty \- Soundstage smaller than HE1000 Unveiled \- Piano black plastic \- Exposed driver (though not bad like Susvara Unveiled) HE1000 Unveiled Pros \- Amazing organic smooth sound \- Most resolving and (hot take) felt even better than Susvara to my ears \- Best timbre \- Vocals are lush and smooth \- Holographic stage \- Best imaging I have heard \- No comfort issues \- Mid was never shouty \- Top end is ethereal Cons \- Exposed driver \- Bass impact was slightly lower than Arya Unveiled (might be source also as it was Astell & Kern DAP) \- Price At the end of the day, I wish someone would make a can with bass of LCD-X, weight of Unveiled, price of Arya Unveiled, Mids and top end of HE1000 Unveiled and resolution of HE1000 Unveiled. Here are some pictures of the planar wars.

I am a big soundstage guy with over emphasis on instrument separation. Once you hear that aspect, you realize that Susvara (OG) lacks a bit in that area. Soundstage is a bit underwhelming plus the separation and layering can be a bit in the center (or on top of each other making it hard to distinguish making it a bit less resolving to my ears). The Susvara Unveiled and HE1000 Unveiled I find very very close with maybe a limited advantage to Susvara Unveiled in resolution. But honestly for 1/4th the price, I can only afford HE1000 Unveiled. lol. P.S. I am not an audiophile so I maybe misusing some terms here.

Agreed. You would need a 6K headphone and maybe another 5-10K of DAC/amp/tubes/power supply to drive it properly. I am just not ready to drop that kind of cash. Don’t get me wrong Susvara is amazing but for what I am looking for, I prefer the HEKU to it.

I think most of audio is YMMV situation. With recent videos by headphone show even the FR is YMMV :).

Unfortunately, I am not used to heavy cans. Normally draw the line around 450 g. Maxwell 2 is the only exception also because there is no cable weight. The LCD-X felt more like 700 g due to cable (plus the lady at the shop was using 2 connectors (XLR to 6.35 and then 6.35 to 3.5). It wasn't a pleasant experience for me. People can be different :).

I have tried LCD - X, LCD - 2C (Open), LCD - 2C (Closed), LCD - 3, LCD - 4z, LCD - 5, CBRN2, Audeze Maxwell and Audeze Maxwell 2 (own this one). I liked LCD - 3 but the soundstage was still small to my liking. It definitely is a good can but not 2K good IMO. I actually really liked LCD - 2C (Open) as it has slightly less weight and is a bit more relaxing to my ears (less sparkle than LCD - X).

I am looking at the graph of Aether and it seems to have a massive peak at 8K which I am extremely sensitive to. Any thoughts on that? Also bass feels a bit anemic compared to my Arete 2 with bass switch on (which is how I use it).

I have a K13 R2R. I can order them for about 150$ right now with 14 day returns so it's not a problem. Was thinking of trying them or EM6L or Odyssey as all of these are on discounts right now. Arete 1 is also 130$ for today.

Unfortunately, I don't have Dunu test/demo units in my local area. Maybe at next Can Jam I could try them out but that is in Jan for us here in Dubai.

It's not that bad. I had Arya Unveiled and routinely would touch the driver etc. It's quite sturdy. Unless you are bringing magnets to it or throwing it around or taking a knife/pencil/piercing items to it, I don't see how you can damage it.

I tried Dan Clark products. I have tried E3 which I liked. But it didn’t have the detail, separation and layering I enjoy. I also tried Aeon 2 Flow Open which was OK. Felt overpriced for its offer. I tried Stealth. I liked it but it was not worth the money they are asking. In that money I would prefer other products to it - from Meze or ZMF. Had a treble peak as well for me. I also tried Noire XO and it was fine. Generally was too smooth. And bass was anemic.

I do prefer bass above normal but generally I listen to different types of cans. I love trying different stuff. I also tried HE1000SE and liked it but it wasn’t the step up from my Arya Stealth that Arya Unveiled and HE1000 Unveiled are.

Fair enough. These headphones do require care but so do most planar magnetics. If you drop them, there is a very high chance they would be gone. For me the outside grill is not a real biggie. I anyways, keep them in a clean environment. Also I never clean headphones with a cloth (especially the inside) so in this case won't do it on the outside.

First time I loaded up BF6 on my Arya Stealth. Massive holy crap moment for me. Everything in its place as if I was in there. Each shell dropping in the right place, hearing reloads from behind the walls, footsteps verticality clear as day. This was after my holy crap moment with Edition XV that I had purchased about a month ago. :) Most recent one, when I heard snow patrol run on my Arya Unveiled. And then the guitar portion stepped in and I was there. My 3 boys. Sooooo good! https://preview.redd.it/z6f4ovi7dirg1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=56e375c72ec167c7a9a58318e75ac7703a73c0e8