I am also considering the Heddphones as a replacement for a Beyerdynamic T1 v1 so I would appreciate to hear from you, if possible. wettlestam@gmail.com. I will use them with a Benchmark HPA4 amp and PS Audio Directstream Junior DAC.
Heddphone for me. The build quality is just better. I already tried the Arya and I liked it. Who has the time to listen to music for 3 or 4 hours straight? Guns n Roses concert was almost 4 hours. I was exhausted and still had to drive for 2 hours home.
I was testing both of these headphones and my RME Adi2Pro drove both of these easily in 'high power' mode. I had an Auralic Taurus mk2 on standby, but it wasn't needed. IMO the Heddphone was much livelier and more exciting to listen to than the Arya. But then I'm a techno-head, your mileage may vary. Oh, I had zero issues with the bass extension from the Heddphones. I might be a bit biased though, since my main monitors are a pair of Hedd Type 20s, which I love. Edit - Listening some more, I have to pick the Aryas over the Heddphone, simply because the Aryas out resolve the lower and upper bass when compared to the Hedds. To quite a ridiculous extent actually.
SR1a spotted behind your head in the blurred background. We need a review (and comparison) paired with HSA-1a and/or tube amp/pre-amp from you! Might be tricky to measure though.
I won't pretend I even have anywhere close to what these cost - but I still enjoyed the review a lot. It explains all of the aspects that I care in a very easily understandable way - that is the best part.
Thanks for the nuanced review and that you do take a stand and don´t mellow out your impressions like some reviewers do. I have the HPA4 headamp and will buy new headphones in July or August and will probably choose between the Heddphone or Erzetich Phobos. Arya is disqualified for me because of cheap buildquality. If you or any other hear have compared the Heddphone with Phobos I would be happy to hear your opinion.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Thanks for reply and I am not surprised actually for what you say. Erzetich don´t mention where they get their drivers from, which makes me wonder if it is the same "syndrome" I see in some other new headphone brands who buy similar drivers from China and then have it appear as "almost" inhouse development. It also confirms that one do wisely in not believeing in every other rave reviews out there. I know I am assuming so I might be wrong. Left is then the Heddphone and eventually the Verite, but the price difference is big and my sound-taste is more towards neutral and the Heddphones comes out more like that than the Verite. Is that a correct assumption? Thanks again for your response it will help a lot.
so hedd beats arya on most points, equals on others, but arya wins solely on weight, that implies arya ,according to this criteria, beats audeze lcd 4, the flagship audeze headphone, due to weight
Excellent review! just subscribed to your channel..tons of excellent reviews! Wonder if you or anyone in this forum would recommend more than Hifiman or the Hedd (or Audeze LCD-X) for mixing and mastering. Been mixing and mastering jazz and classical music and would love to have a reliable set of headphones besides my trusty monitors (Neumann KH310). Comfort shoudn't be an issue. I guess I can adjust... but would love the most honest sound for critical decisions in mixing and mastering. Would love to hear your recommendation!
You can avoid the crinkling sound by just adjusting the extension into snug fit. Since it is a heavy headphones, wearing this a bit loose will cause unnecessary movements thus making these sounds. At first, I was annoyed by it until I learned how to deal with it. Now I don't experience the crinkling sound unless I headbang. Lol
Very fair review. You can’t go wrong with either choice but weight and ease of use is a real factor between the two favoring the arya. Power needs on the hedd is again a big factor unless you’re ready to spend big for the heddphone as it just requires so much more.
It could be a similar anomaly from interaction with the pinna, but it could also be a cut resonance. I think it's important to recognize that the target is just a guideline, and that how a headphone 'should' measure isn't exactly what the target shows.
Hi Andrew, I'm coming from a Sennheiser HD600 + Modi/Magni stack. I've had that headphone since I was 17 and a decade on it still sings, with only one replacement in pads and headband after the cushion has compressed (replacement parts are abundant for these). I just turned 27 and have a little bit more disposable income so I figured it's the perfect time for me to upgrade to my "endgame" set, and after much research (your videos contributed, so thanks!) I've decided on the Arya. My issue is that I want this to last another decade and more; reading the forums I've encountered many posts about the subpar build quality of Hifiman products and that they do not last. From your experience and hands on with the product, do you think the Arya can last for 10 years like my HD600 did? Any tips to get it to stand through time? And, do you think I should upgrade my DAC/Amp or would the Schiit stack suffice? Thanks for your work, appreciate it!
The HEDD is weird in the low mids and has a strange ringing on some program. I was hoping for it to be a big upgrade from the LCD-X, but I have to say I prefer the LCD-X with Sonarworks correction.
This video is exactly what I need, thx so much... Have one more question, I wonder, how is that forward presence depth of Arya and lateral depth of Heddphone compared to a pair of tower speakers? Which one is more towards a realistic presentation instead of being too forward focused or too wide? I am trying to mixing and mastering audio in these headphones for a period of time due to the pandemic. Like you said in the video, definitely more than 6 hours a day for wearing time.
700 grams headphone gets heavy and you start to notice it after 6 hours!?! You must have a freakishly strong neck. Most people agree that something at 600 grams has a max of 2 hours comfortable wearing time.
Enjoyed watching your video. I own the Arya with some slight EQ via PeaceAPO (on PC) and truly endgame headphone love it. Sold off my entire collection of previous headphones. I was curious about the HEDD and I'm glad I have the Arya after watching this! EDIT: Simple Schitt Heresey has enough punch to make these sing (I've heard Arya on other amps and they were "meh") but a simple $100 one like that has enough kick for those looking for cheap power on them. :)
Good question. Very different sound. If you want warm and inviting, verite. If you want more traditionally neutral, HEDDphone. But remember the weight.
I now have both and IMO the Heddphone beats the Arya in just about every way sonically except staging width and I like the treble a bit more on the Arya.
Thanks for review - I’ve got both headphones and currently running it with iDSD micro BL - Do you think Monolith 887 could be a good AMP to go with HEDDPhone ?
THX can imo be a bit too dry with the HEDD, at least as far as the SMSL SP200 is concerned. I prefer my Class A amp with it but it's still very good with the SP200.
I have always wanted to listen to the Arya but no one have it in stock or have it as a demo. In Sweden the Arya cost 19000 sek= 2056 $. So its a lot more expensive here. For an example the 800S cost 1623 $, Focal Utopia 4869 $ and the Hifiman Susvara 7142 $ in Sweden.
thanks for this video! can you tell us - does the HEDDphone fall off your head or atleast drift downward if you look down due to gravity? i found this to be a problem for me with the LCD X , thus i ask before i try the heddphone....
718 gram is just ridiculous. LCD 2C should be the limit in terms of weight. Are they planning to change it and maybe introduce a new cheaper one as well? I see they are using these drivers for tweeters in their speakers. Maybe that's why when you go lower in the frequency range Arya starts to perform better than HEDD.
LCD-X technical performance is extremely competitive. But the tuning is often quite strange, as is shown by measurements frequently. So for that reason I do recommend EQ with it. Also worth considering there is the Arya, HD800s and Focal Clear.
Really depends on musical taste. I have owned several pair of Grados. The openness of those cans is head and shoulder beyond anything else and I keep going back to it because live and acoustic music just sounds like you are on stage with the artist. Planars are really good with fast music and any music with "attack" in general. I currently own Verum 1, hifiman HE6SE, and Grado Hemp. Both planars are really good with metal and also EDM surprisingly but when listening to, the Eagles' hell freezes over live, for example, with grados it feels like I'm on stage with those guys and the detail and clarity of every strum is far superior to planars. Grados lack bass compared to the other two though and they don't sound anywhere nearly good on electronic music. In general I'd say faster music but with less dynamic range suits planars. So, rock, metal, EDM, even Indie sound great. Slow music and music with high dynamic range like soundtracks, acoustic, classical, for example, are better on Grados. It's not like they are bad with rock, but planars just have the slam and attack that dynamic headphones lack. But the Grados that I have are bottom of the line when it comes to serious headphones. The GS3000 have a lot more bass and an even wider soundstage. They are, btw, one of my bucket list headphones that I will get at some point. However, since I've been listening to a lot of metal and EDM during pandemic, I prefer Planars.
@@thetiger3223 HD6xx/650 if budget conscious. Focal Elex mid budget. Focal clear/ZMF auteur on high end. I can say that planars are really good choice in any budget as they are technically superior but something is off with planar timbre. Instruments, and especially vocals don't sound like they do in real life. Verum 1 is the the most natural sounding planar under $1000, no comparison really, and a great choice if in that budget.
I have the auteur but have been wondering if I'm missing out on technicality. Would it be worth it to try these guys out? How do these compare to the auteur?
I have Auteur, Arya and Heddphone. In technicalities, Hedd > Arya > Auteur. Auteur is slower and not as good for detail, but it has a bit better dynamics and much better timbre. In terms of tonal balance I'd say the Auteur is between the brighter Arya and the more withdrawn Hedd (withdrawn in the presence region)
The problem here is that there isn't really a set definition of 'neutral'. If by neutral you mean Harman 2018 then neither follow it really, but the Utopia is kind of close to Harman 2013. In a classical sense of 'neutral' meaning not bass elevated with equal loudness for everything then they're both fairly close. So really, if that's what you're after you'd be happy with either one. I think a much bigger consideration here is weight and price.
The HEADPHONE Show What I mean is where things sounds natural; guitar sounds like guitar, piano sounds like a piano and Paul Simon sounds like Paul Simon. I guess that means accurate timbre, but I don’t really know the definition of these musical terms.
You mean natural? Most people think they wanted neutral, but don't realize what that actually means. If you are listening for pleasure, find what sound signature you like. If you are mixing or in a professional sound cycle they are different. Music production includes mixing. If you don't like mixed audio, you need live music only.
Heddphone or Focal Clears for bassheavy music(hardstyle,edm etc.)? Want to use the headphone for sounddesign music making and mixing together with dsoniq real headphones software. My normal nearfield speakers genelecs are 8030 A. Thx in advance!
Yeah kind of. To give an example, listening to a cello or viola, you can hear the weight of the bow on the string as is makes the tone. How well those finer elements come across is 'texture'.
Hi Guys, Im considering buying either the arya or the hedd aus an addition to my hd800 and hd6xx. But im really not sure If my drop thx AAA 789 has enough power for the head. Even if i run it balanced. Do you have any experiences with that combi? Thanks!
@@TheHEADPHONEShow and how will it compare with the SPL Phonitor X. Is the Phonitor worth an upgrade over the THX789. Currently running my Hedd with the RME ADI 2 DAC
I've been wondering about this for a while......how do you evaluate timbre? How do you know something has a natural timbre? Do you have to have some sort of background being surrounded by instruments or something? Would be cool to know your take and process for it
Not speaking for Josh, but my definition for naturalness is... does it sound like it does in real life? I’ve played in multiple different types of bands, been behind multiple instruments, and attended many different concerts and venues. I have a pretty solid idea of what, for example, an upright bass should sound when listening in a smaller room. If it’s too boxy, light-impact, woolly, etc... all of that goes against naturalness for me.
Yeah this is why graphs don't always tell the whole story. It measures like this on the rig, but like I said in the video it likely has different interactions with the ear when you're wearing it on your head.
No headphones are worth that kind of money. Dont let price make anyone think you can hear that much $$$ difference. Lol. Buy headphones for almost $2000 and buy an amplifier for $ 200 to $500!?!!? This just is an emporer has no clothes product like so much in this business.
I used to think like you did until I got my first 1600 dollar set of headphones, denon ah-d9200. Words cannot describe how much better it is than mid fi crap. Unfortunately buddy, for those of us in "Corolla" world, we are only ever going to get a mere taste of the big leagues where they drop money on Mercedes, Ferrari etc. where it's like spare change to them.
yes, I tried the HEDD and I think for a couple of hours is perfectly fine, love the treble. Arya is way more comfortable but I hate how much noise the headband is always making. I found funny how other reviewers say that the Arya disappears in your head, not for me, I found that metallic noise very annoying and makes the experience very cheap.
I call this guy a liar because here he says he's not a fan of the Sundara's egg shape. See link from three months ago: At time 1:45: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-89RtTLeuCXk.html And here in this presentation at time point 3: 8 he claims that he likes the design of the Arya, and the Arya has the same egg shape as the Sundara. Understand who can.
Well, first of all it doesn't have the same shape to it at all. The Arya is egg-shaped and the Sundara is circular. So I think you might be confused about the design of each model. You might be confusing the Sundara with the Ananda. Second, it's possible to generally like something but also point out and nitpick some of the issues. It seems like people sometimes have trouble understanding nuanced positions and demand a more rigid, binary conclusion along the lines of "it's good" or "it's bad". But in reality there's a lot more to it than that. Just because I find good and bad things about a design simultaneously doesn't make me a liar. These are not contradictory claims. Moreover, when it comes to having opinions about headphones, I find this to be somewhat of a hilarious accusation.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Hi, I tend to agree with you, so I am going to remove these comments from me. Actually also more about the nice way you interpret my reactions, I think it's cool, and even great of you. Please let me know when you read this comment from me, I will already delete those two of mine. I leave you my sincere apologies. Please continue as you are doing.
