Looking forward to owning these headphones one day😀
3 Likes
I just received my Arya a week and a half ago and it is the old revision. Should I try to exchange for the revision? The higher sensitivity is really attractive, but I also worry about a change in sound that is not to my liking.
Why is the higher sensitivity attractive? Are you planning a change that will lower available power? OR are you having trouble driving them to acceptable levels?
I am currently powering them with a Magni Heresy. I do have an Asgard 3 on the way that will probably be plenty of power, but I would like to continue to use the Heresy as well. The Arya gets acceptably loud on the Heresy, but everything I have read is the more power you throw at the Arya, the more they will give you. So, easier to drive could mean having that added depth and soundstage with less power. Of course, all of that could totally be placebo.
The reddit user is now reporting that the yolks and grills are metal. He says his weigh 440 grams (mine for reference are 403 grams). It seems these may be a pretty significant revision. I wonder how close they will sound to the current version?
3 Likes
Mind if I ask what you think of the Jotunheim 2 with the Arya so far? That’s the pairing I’m looking at getting in the near future.
Oh man…I LOVE the Jotunheim 2 with the Arya. I had a Topping A50s and was running Arya balanced through it. I felt that the A50s was providing enough power…things sounded really good, but I honestly just wanted the Jotunheim to stack with my Bifrost 2 and was hopeful maybe I could get a littttle bit more out of Arya with them.
After getting the Jotunheim 2, It took no time for me to realize how much better of an amp it is compared to the A50s. Bass and separation are definitely better with the Jotunheim. I’m not good at describing sound, but after hearing the Jotunheim, when I go back to the A50s, the sound seems more compressed / thin.
I don’t know if this is simply because the A50s isn’t giving Arya enough power, or if that’s just the ‘Topping sound’. If it’s the ‘topping sound’, I can’t believe so many people swear by these amps 
. I didn’t know what I was missing…
7 Likes
Very useful! I am currently deciding on amp/dac stack to get. Also just ordered the new Arya yesterday
Bifrost seems a near no-brainer. Rebel Amp is alluring.
4 Likes
Thanks for the response, that’s great to hear! When Resolve mentioned that he doesn’t like the Topping A90 because he thinks it sounds lifeless/compressed/uninteresting, I started suspecting that I wouldn’t like the Topping sound. It sounds like the Jotunheim 2 is exactly what I’m looking for.
That’s great you have the new Arya on the way! I’m curious to hear what you think of it. Have you heard any of the previous Arya revisions?
Actually have not. Was about to buy the “old” ones just as the new ones came out, so a bit of serendipity.
1 Like
I think it’s the “Topping sound”. I had a similar experience going from Arya+A90 to Arya+Lyr 3. Lyr turned Arya into a whole new headphone and basically fixed everything I didn’t like about it on the A90.
2 Likes
Hmm, initial whisperings around the internet suggest that the new Arya v3 is quite different than v1 & v2. And maybe not in a good way. Has anyone here heard both yet?
4 Likes
Has anyone had a chance to compare the V1/V2 Arya to the new V3 Stealth Magnet revision? There are mixed opinions on other forums from people who have compared the two. Some are saying that the soundstage of the V3 is a lot smaller than V2, while others are saying the difference is not significant.
I’m deciding between an open-box V2 or a new V3 in the near future, and I’m not sure which way to go yet.
For anyone wondering how the Arya Stealth Magnet version compares and what’s going on there, it’s essentially the same as the V2 (dust cover change), just with a bit more upper treble. Additionally, it seems to have slightly more bass and lower mids but that’s within the ballpark of unit variation so it’s not a huge difference. All in all, there’s not much difference. Both V2 and V3 are smoother in the mid treble than the V1.
My take is that the stealth magnet Arya (V3) is ever so slightly better in the treble with the addition of extra air at around 12khz, just because that balances out the lower and mid treble peaks a bit more. This gives it a slightly ‘airier’ yet smoother treble presentation overall. But the same strengths of the previous version (and the few weaknesses) are still here, it’s a great sounding headphone.
11 Likes
It could just be me, I haven’t actually done any serious A/B-ing yet, but don’t you find the Stealth version slightly less open? The space is not quite as exaggerated on this one?
I find it to be very similar to V2 in general, although it wouldn’t surprise me. If you physically look at the window shade grille, you can see it’s an entirely new structure on the V3. So maybe there’s something to that? But in general, I don’t have any issues with the soundstage.
3 Likes
I don’t have any issues with it, I actually meant it as a compliment.
The V2 sounded a little “too far away” at times.
But I’m not sure if the Stealth version is different or if I have just acclimatised to it. Hopefully I can spend some time with both this week and reach a conclusion (even if it’s wrong 
).
4 Likes
How deep are the pads on the Arya? I own the Sundara, and though the comfort is ok due to their being light, the pads are pretty shallow. As a result, my ears press into the metal housing over the drivers, which leads to hotspots. Do the Aryas have deeper pads? Or am I likely to have the same experience as with the Sundara? (Granted, I realize that the pads on the Arya are much, much taller. My main concern is depth and clearance for my ears relative to the driver)
I have left my comparison of the Arya v2 and Arya Stealth Magnet here:
8 Likes