Arya V2 (Non-Stealth)

I sell my headphones to fund the next one. Had the HE-4xx for 4 years then sold it for a sundara. Had the sundara for 5 years then sold it for an Arya stealth. Both headphones were perfectly fine when I sold them. I also briefly owned the Arya v2 which does not have stealth magnets. It does have a bigger soundstage than the Arya stealth but I much prefer the overall sound of the stealth. The soundstage on the v2 made music sound distant and wonky. Some songs were incredible on it but for the most part I wasn't a fan. I've listened to the HEK stealth, HEKse, and HEK Unveiled. Don't think I've listened to the original non-stealth HEK. I'm sure it's good but I'd probably opt for a newer model unless it was an incredible deal like $600 or less.

Interesting question. I own roughly 17 headphones from low to high end. It’s maybe an obsessive hobby for me that turned into a collecting endeavor. I’ve owned the older DCA Noire, the DCA E3, Audeze LCD2, HiFiman Arya V2 and HE1000V2, ZMF Atrium and Aeolus, Beyerdynamic T1 and DT1990 and DT880, Meze 99 Classic, both Aune AR5000 and SR7000, Sennheiser 6xx, and some bass cannons like the Modhouse Argon and Harmonicdyne Eris. And a bunch of others that don’t really meaningfully stand out. I tend to notice a disparity between my “best” headphones and the ones I listen to the most. The DCAs and HiFimans are objectively excellent, but I rarely pick them up. For me, personally, I’m in love with a rich, full-bodied and impactful sound. The ZMF Aeolus on an OTL Tube amp takes the win for me every time. It just makes every single song sound so enjoyable. It is soulful and “weighty”. Many of my headphones are technically better in many categories, but if enjoyment is the most important factor then the ZMF Aeolus hits the mark every time. It is just so well rounded and engaging with every type of music.

Welcome to the chase, my friend!!! I've never heard the EdXS, but I've had these: OG Sundara, HE4xx, and Arya v2 - while still owning these: HE400i 2020, OG Ananda, Arya Stealth, and HEKSE. The first HFM can that I bought was the OG Sundara - and OMG, they blew every other dynamic can that I'd heard before then out of the water! That was until I bought the OG Ananda and then quickly said: "Effit, I'm taking the plunge" - and bought the Arya v2. Prior to the Aryas I couldn't fathom spending ~$500+, then ~$750+ and THEN ~$1,000+ on a headphone....that is, until I heard the Ananda and wondered "What if"? When I got the Arya and first heard them I was very impressed, but still kinda "Is this it"? Until I read that they took a few days or weeks to burn in before they'd sound their best. I let them marinate over the nights with some pink noise and bass heavy music for a few nights and then listened. HOLY MOLY - they had totally transformed and expanded in every direction (HxWxD + midbass, subbass, texture, and smoothness)!!! Like a "Shaking your head because this is TOO GOOD - my goodness!!!" kind of emotion, LOL. Of course, then I had to buy the requisite source chain to "maximize their SQ" - so I bought a used Gustard H20 Class A BAL amp and later on a Gustard x26pro DAC to stack with it - both working together to mitigate the roughest treble edges from both my Arya Stealth and HEKSE. I'm still in Bliss..... As you can guess, I'm still stuck - but I think I'm holding off right now on even hearing the HEK Unveiled and sticking with my HEKSE. They offer me literally everything there is to offer, IMO - not lacking in any facet of SQ, especially after experimenting with ZMF hybrid and perforated lambskin ear pads for the "cherry on top" effect. Happy listening - and keep us posted....

How do they compare to the Audio Technica R70xa? I have been loving these for gaming. For the price I haven't heard anything with the best balance of stage and imaging with great extension/depth/timbre for music too. The bass is decent too with EQ. Only downside is they are power hungry with a massive 470ohms of impedance. I have better headphones for music but as a gaming headphone, I love them for their performance and weight. So light on my head. Hardly any clamp. Comfort really does matter. The second I put them on and listened to in game music, I knew these headphones had a sense of air and space that my previous 6xx headphones lacked. The stage size is the perfect amount. I don't feel like audio sources are too close or far away. I compared them to the Sennheiser 490s/6XX as well and R70xa's simply trump in the stage department. This is coming from someone who has owned multiple headphones in including the HD800s which in my opinion had a stage that was TOO big. Sennheiser 600 and new 490 are too intimate in the stage department for competitive FPS. The 6XX in particular has imaging that is limited as well. A great warmer leaning headphone but its imaging is limited to general areas if that makes sense. Sources of sound are relatively in front, relatively to the sides. Not accurate enough for gaming. My previous experience with Hifiman were the Arya V2's and I found their front and back portions of the stage to be lacking/incomplete. Also not a fan of Asus software. Curious how these knew collab headphones are.

That's a frustrating experience. I'm wondering if you're just too used to the XM4 with the boomy bass and you haven't noticed the details that would be revealed by the Arya. I have the Arya V2 and though the bass isn't pronounced, it's there and adequate. I find the clarity and soundstage to be absolutely exceptional. Stock tuning at that. I'm running mine through a Fiio K9 Pro AKM and it adequately drives it fine. I'm also using Qobuz or FLAC files. Btw, does the K11 have drivers that you needed to install? I know my K9 needed a specific driver to get the best audio possible.