Yeah I used to call this “ear related gain factors”, and then at the suggestion of Sean Olive, I shortened that to ‘ear gain’. Basically it’s the effects of the ear (outer and inner) on incoming sound, and the reason why a raw FR graph shouldn’t look like a flat line. Those effects are bound to be different from person to person, but because we generally all have an ear canal, the strongest part of the ear gain (upper mids), is generally fairly similar.
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I understand the need, but don’t think “gain” is the clearest term for a general audience. For the uninitiated it suggests amplification and risks confusion with electric amplifiers.
Many of us have probably tried cell phone passive stand “amps” that channel, focus and direct the internal speaker’s sound. This is the same principle as trumpet/horn (e.g., Klipsch) speakers and old timey trumpet hearing aids.
“Ear hole trumpet cone perceived sound level boosting” – there, I gave you 8 goofy words instead of 2!
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Given this and your fondness for estats I would suggest the Arya.
Now, I too agree in part with the pink crown wearing amphibious one’s wariness of Hifimans QC issues as I’ve expressed here in the past. But…. Though I did have my left driver go out on my first Arya after about 11 months of daily driving, the replacement/customer service experience was great. Sent it back they sent me a new one. So for me it’s been a good experience.
The thing is I love the Hifiman sound and to me its worth the risk. So much so I got Susvara (love it!!!)
After all, shit happens and products fail. I have 5 models of HFM and haven’t had any other issues.
Anyway…. Enough justifying a HFM purchase 
You may like that well defined clarity and soundstage the Arya has.
I do think it’s finicky as far as synergy goes and I haven’t heard it with a Lyr but the Bifrost2 is what I also use. I like it with warmer leaning gear…didn’t like it out of THX887 much.
Senn Hd800s I also really like and definitely recommend. I just prefer the Arya slightly for its crisper, more defined presentation and punchier bass.The 800s is really great for certain genres though. Classical, orchestral and the like.
Then there’s the Clear…The Clear to me is definitely a great sounding headphone but not for me. To me it’s too forward and shouty. I definitely feel the loss of soundstage when listening to it. It’s a headphone that made clear (I know😳) to me what people are talking about when referring to a “lean forward “ or “lean back” listen.
The Clear demands your attention and I’m more of a lean back, feet up and relax kind of listener….even if it’s extreme metal I happen to be listening to.
My thoughts on what I’ve heard in the range you’re looking for… good luck in your quest!
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The elephant in the room has spoken
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The pink crown wearing amphibious one does not disagree with much of anything the elephant who looks like a pair of scissors wrote.
HFM QC --------- I dissected my 13 month old dead HE-560 and saw cracks and point-shorts everywhere on both drivers. The dead driver had a massive divot, but the other side might have gone first. I used that HE-560 all the time for a year, and they sounded worse and worse starting on month 11. With all the other failures I lost faith in their electric mesh technology.
Much like BMW…own only under warranty and accept the depreciation…they do sound great…
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Aint that the truth!!!
@pennstac I look forward to seeing how your headphone journey progresses. Happy hunting!
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I hope I didn’t come across as implying that I disagree with your assessment or decision regarding Hifiman and their products. As others here, I greatly respect your input and opinion.
I fully get it and I’m not trying to discount their issues or others experience. On the contrary, I only feel the need to justify recommending them because it goes against things I myself have said in the past. Mainly, that I wouldn’t recommend them or risk buying anything from them again.
It’s just for me, over time and having tried quite a few other headphones, I find their sound so much to my liking that I’m willing to take the chance.
That may bite me in the ass…hope not 
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No offense perceived or taken. Scissor-nose elephants are known across the world for their respect and sincere justifications and innate preference for being ass-bitten. Proven facts.
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My HE-560 is I think v2 - wood trim and tiny cable jacks. It does not get daily use, but it still is going strong blur spoiler to keep the evil eye from finding out.
Would y’all think the current generation has improved?
It seems that the ZMF Auteur is occasionally showing up used in my price range. Of course new is discontinued. The Arya Stealth is presently at $1299 on the Hifiman site.
Per @PaisleyUnderground 's comments, I do love the look of the Focal Stellia, but I’m very gun-shy of closed back.
Is there a local shop in your area that carries Focal? If possible, auditioning before purchasing is the way to go.
As promised, I’m doing some back-to-back comparisons for you (right now).
Setup: Amazon HD → Bifrost 2 → Loki Mini (4 pots) → Lyr 3 with a Foton (1958) → Headphones
Compared: HD 800 S, OG Clear with Dekoni velour pads (slight bass boost versus factory), and HD 6XX. The 6XX is the best model on your list that I still own, so we have some common ground.
Initial findings: The Lyr 3 is the great “gentle-izer” – lots of the bite and harshness goes away from my known problem test tracks. I want a bit of edge for some content.
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HD 6XX: Loki Mini Knob #2 at 10:00 to control the mid-bass hump. No deep bass versus the other two. Zip. Not there. Ghost bass. Some roughness and coarseness in the upper mids. The highs roll off, and it presents routine/narrow Senn 6 series stage.
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HD 800 S: Loki Knob #1 at 2:30 to bring out the bass. Gentle! Gentle! Remains pretty spacious. The Lyr 3 doesn’t allow the 800 S to reach its technical potential, but the stage is the best of the three. Reaaaaaallly gentle.
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OG Clear: Loki Knob #3 at 10:30 to control forward vocals. Retains the best definition, depth, edge and detail through the gentle Lyr 3. My overall favorite if limited to the Lyr 3, but I’d pick the 800 S on other amps.
Next I’ll try the RebelAmp and maybe my black glass Ken-Rad in the Lyr 3 (the most technical 6SN7 that I have).
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Audiophool. You’re a good dude. You know what is what. You’ll be fine. Stick to what you know. 
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This is why I bought my Sundara from Amazon. $15 for an added 3 yrs. warranty, which has been used once for what turned out to be an intermittent ground fault in the right driver’s wiring. While HFM might have fixed it, it was about 1 yr out of the factory warranty.
@Pennstac – Here’s my second and final back-to-back comparison. I don’t have much more to say about my Lyr 3 chain.
Amazon HD → Bifrost 2 → Loki mini → Amplifier
Test setups today:
- Lyr 3 with black glass vintage Ken-Rad: Low and high gain
- RebelAmp (low gain, but the gain setting is immaterial)
Headphones: HD 6XX, HD 800 S, and OG Clear with Dekoni velour pads
Loki mini settings same as prior message
A. Comments about the Lyr 3 and 6SN7 tubes
I have about a dozen 6SN7 tubes, and use them in both my Lyr 3 and DarkVoice 336 SE. Both amps and all tubes have a broadly similar mid-to-low frequency focus with limited treble extension. Music has a “tubey” roundedness, that I hear as kind of a gentle boil or “burble burble.” This is easygoing and sometimes desirable, but 6SN7s aren’t neutral and IMO not best for every source or genre.
The Lyr 3 and DV have limited stage width and clarity, seemingly from 6SN7 tube characteristics. Warmer solid state amps (e.g. RebelAmp) extend the high range and maintain good clarity. Technical solid state amps (e.g., THX AAA 789) etch deep grooves into the treble and draw excessive attention toward edges and artifacts. My amps with 12AU7 tubes (e.g., Bottlehead Crack) maintain better treble clarity and extension, even with tons of harmonics and without technical accuracy [but the BHC often sounds great].
B. Amp and Headphone Comparisons
Lyr 3 with a vintage black glass Ken-Rad 6SN7
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HD 6XX: Reaches its technical potential. No deep bass, one-note and excessive mid bass, vocal grain, limited treble extension, narrow stage. It sounds very very good for costing 1/5th to 1/8th the items below. Rounded, bubbly 6SN7 character.
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OG Clear: Awfully close to reaching its technical potential. With metal drivers, the Clear is naturally punchy, intense, and forward. They grab you and force you to hear everything they have to offer. I thought of old school “3D” art created from flat paper and then layered as a composite. They deliver overall depth, but each element is flat. From memory the Elex is similar but has much, much more exaggerated differences. Think of South Park or 1960s TV cartoon animation.
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HD 800 S: This headphone is all about nuance, broad staging, and placement of instruments in space. It’s weak in the bass, and I routinely run it with a Loki Knob #1 boost – then it’s pretty close to neutral. With the Ken-Rad and Lyr 3 on high gain, it delivers lows and mids near its potential, but not even close in the high range. The bubbly, rounded-off 6SN7 character softens and narrows its stage. This is often pleasant, but I’d choose either the RebelAmp or BHC for vocals, acoustic instruments, etc. The Clear is more intense, punchy, and “fun” for rock.
RebelAmp
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HD 6XX: Little different than on the Lyr 3, but the 6SN7 character goes away. It’s tapped out.
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OG Clear: Staging and nuance slightly more stable, but I sometimes prefer the gentle Lyr 3 because it takes away the Clear’s firm edges. Toss up with Lyr 3.
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HD 800 S: The stage potential comes out. Comfortable treble with an expansive width, clear difference between instruments and the background, clear sound placement. It remains a nuance master rather than punchy beast, and I kept the Loki’s bass boost active. No bubbly, rounded 6SN7 character. [IMO the BHC can be the best of both, per 12AU7 tube harmonics softening the edges plus maintaining the stage.]
Visual analogies: The Lyr 3 is a rounded off circle, and quite easy on the ears. The RebelAmp is a squircle (iPhone/Apple watch) with more precision and minimal harshness. The Bottlehead Crack is a squircle of a different sort, with copious high frequency harmonics softening the edges and expanding the stage even more. The THX AAA 789 is a shard of glass with a bad attitude.
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You ever try a 5692? That’s the premium substitute.
Nope, no 5692s. I bought the Lyr 3 used with a broad sample of high-profile 6SN7s, some of which trade for a lot of money. So, I started out with too many to use regularly and didn’t explore further.
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I have an RCA 5692. To me it sounded similar to the TungSol “premium” tube supplied by Schiit. I stopped experimenting after getting the Treasure Globe.
Not sure what would improve the setup. Someone had one of the pretty blue tubes @prfallon69 maybe?
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@ValentineLuke had a Sophia blue tube.
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Yes, that’s it. @generic I looked around at some tube availability. I see a number of manufacturers for black glass 6sn7 besides Ken-Rad. Of the Ken-Rad, I could only find matched sets.
What made you switch from the Treasure Globe? It was one of the few I found that was audibly better. Willing to listen to others talk about tubes for Lyr3 also, but even with the Treasure Globe, I did not hear a night and day change, just a small incremental improvement.
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Here’s my background explanation for choosing the Ken-Rad. After I got the RebelAmp I sat down with all the bundled 6SN7s and rated their performance on the Lyr 3. Nerd that I am, I created 10 or 20 variables and filled out a data table. The Ken-Rad happened to sound the most technical, accurate, and clean of them all. AFAIK black glass tubes were higher spec and should perform well.
As the best I had, it was my available way to estimate how headphones would perform on the Lyr 3. In contrast, the vintage Foton I recently had in the amp is a terrible choice. My Fotons have loads of sustain, ring, and fuzzy creaminess. This can be enjoyable, but you don’t hear the uniqueness of the drivers.
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