Arya Stealth

After a year, uses Dekoni velour or Elite Hybrid pads, which tame the treble and are noticeably more comfortable than the stock pads.

“I have had mine for about a year. Currently using dekoni velor pads, dekoni elite hybrids are nice aswell, they both tame down treble and are noticably comfortable than stock pads.”

Bought new four or five months ago and calls it their best audio purchase ever, after the HD 660S2 left them unimpressed; runs it on an iFi Zen DAC 3 and Zen Can 3.

“Bought these 4-5 months ago for 659 euros new one and that was my best choice in audio world ever. Before Arya i bought HD660S2, but i was not impressed at all.”

Found a used pair for $75 without a cable, and it has been a major upgrade over the HD 660S they used for four years.

“I found the hifiman arya stealth magnets for $75, the only "issue" was that it was missing the cable, which I planned on replacing anyway. It has been a major upgrade from my sennheiser hd-660s”

A few months in, it still clamps hard on the sides of their head, especially around the jaw.

“I bought the Arya Stealth a few months ago, and they still feel like they clamp pretty hard on the sides of my head — especially around the lower jaw area.”

Two weeks in; it took a while to get used to the sound, but now they really enjoy it, currently driven by a phone and FiiO K15.

“I have it for around 2 weeks now. Took me some time to get used to the sound - now i really enjoy them.”

Bought it new for $600 as an upgrade from the HE400se and was blown away; praises HIFIMAN for making high-end headphones affordable.

“Just received this today for $600 brand new! The newly (mine is December 2024) manufactured units' magnets now align with the cup cover panels which is good if you have OCD. I am upgrading from the HE400se and WOW!”

Not hearing the wide soundstage they expected: on a balanced iFi Zen DAC 2 and Zen Can 3, it sounds less spacious and separated than their Edition XS did.

“I bought the ARYA Stealth, but I'm not sensing that wide soundstage. I'm either asking too much of the headphones, or I'm doing something wrong.”

Two months in, finds every genre, game and Dolby Atmos movie sounds amazing on it.

“I’ve had my Arya Stealth for two months now, and I agree with everything you say. I’ve thrown every genre I can at them, including games and movies with Dolby Atmos”

Bought it on the hype but it wasn't for them: sibilance on both an iFi Signature and EF400, and too sterile and analytical overall. Moved to the warmer HE1000 V2.

“I originally bought the Arya Stealth because of all the hype but it really wasn't for me, sibilance was an issue (with both ifi Signature and EF400) and it ultimately sounded a bit too sterile/analytical”

A week in and still in the honeymoon phase, but already planning to sell most of their collection: the most balanced headphone they've heard, good with every genre and forgiving of poor recordings. Only fault is the fit on a small head.

“The only fault I can see in Arya Stealth is the fit if you have a small head. It's the most well balanced headphone I've heard.”

Bought it on sale and runs it balanced from a FiiO K17; really enjoying it, finding it more natural and higher-resolution than their Edition XS.

“I Have recently purchased these for £470 in a recent Amazon sale. I’ve paired them with the new Fiio K17 DAC Amp combo, using a balanced cable. Really enjoying the sound”

Finds the Arya Stealth more congested in the midrange and peakier in the treble than the Ananda Unveiled.

Has the Arya Stealth but found the loaner HE1000 Unveiled dramatically more natural.

Found the Arya Stealth the most painfully bright HiFiMAN they've heard, unlistenable, and returned it, preferring the Sundara.

The Arya Stealth is their most-used headphone by a mile and a better all-rounder than the Ananda Unveiled they demoed.

Bought the Arya Stealth and fell in love with it before the Arya Unveiled replaced it.

Bought the Arya SE but found it too harsh and sibilant with poor vocals, so returned it.

Owns and loves the Arya Stealth, though it lacks dynamics and slam; the Arya Organic was one of their top two demos.

Upgraded from the HD 660S2 to the Arya Stealth; at first it sounded merely different, then the improvement showed on certain tracks.

Bought a used Arya Stealth and put Dekoni hybrid pads on it, getting a better-tuned sound.

Has the Arya Stealth and Organic, both with massive soundstage, and calls the Stealth the best deal in headphones.

Prefers their Arya Stealth over the slightly brighter Organic and finds it great value now.

Uses the Arya Stealth and loves it as their endgame.

Owns the Arya Stealth (V3) and loves everything about it except a bit of sibilance.

Loves their Arya but with a small head the headband gap at the smallest settings is a problem.

Finds the Arya Stealth so good for most of their music that they doubt it gets much better.

Wasn't impressed with the Arya Stealth at first coming from the 6XX, but had to get used to its sound and now loves it.

Owns the Arya Stealth and HD800S and finds both fantastic; the Arya needs more power.

Just got the Arya Stealth and finds it phenomenal paired with an Aune S9c.

Got an open-box Arya Stealth for 470 euros and calls it the best headphone they've had, unbelievable sound.

Loves their Arya Stealth, punching above its price and taking EQ amazingly.

Loves their Arya Stealth, their only open back and an absolute steal at the new price.

Finds the Arya Stealth goes crazy on an iFi iDSD Signature with XBass bringing sub-bass to life.

Bought the Arya Stealth and its cups feel spacious around their big ears, unlike the HD 6XX.

Bought the Arya Stealth for gaming and found it amazing, until the left driver stopped working a few months later.

After three RMAs their Arya Stealth's right driver failed again, so they gave up on HiFiMAN.

Switched from the Sundara to the Arya Stealth and recommends it: much better comfort and sound.

Finds the Arya Stealth sublime, giving IEM-level detail with far more space; leather pads tame the treble.

Found the Arya Stealth's treble a bit high as treble-sensitive and nearly sold it, until velour pads fixed it.

After months of daily use finds the Arya Stealth sounds fantastic, incredibly comfortable and surprisingly easy to drive.

A/B'd the Arya Stealth against the Edition XS for metal and found the Arya's headband much better.

Listens to metalcore on the Arya Stealth, whose treble can be too bright with poor mixes.

Finds the Arya Stealth can get fatiguing at times.

Had the Arya Stealth for two weeks and hated it.

Has the Arya Stealth and finds it fatiguing regardless of amp or DAC.

Their Arya Stealth sounded harsh at times on a DX3 Pro+, which a FiiO K11 R2R fixed.

After the Sundara and Edition XS bought the Arya Stealth and wishes they'd gone straight to it: awesome.

Had the Arya Stealth and loved its crazy staging and detail, though the HiFiMAN sound was a bit tinny to them.

Loved the Arya Stealth's sound but HiFiMAN sent two broken replacements; waiting on a fourth pair.

Has had their Arya Stealth for two years with no issues.

Has had their Arya Stealth for about two years with no issues apart from slightly compressed pads.

Recently got the Arya Stealth and it sounds incredible.

Their first high-end cans, the Arya Stealth arrived and their first reaction was 'that's it?'.

Moved from the HD660S to the Arya Stealth and found it a very noticeable upgrade without needing an expensive amp.

Upgraded from the Sundara to the Arya Stealth and found more of an upgrade than expected.

Has had their Arya Stealth since launch on a FiiO K9 Pro and the audio has been great.

Finds the Arya Stealth's midrange poor and way too bright without EQ.

Had the Arya and Arya Stealth and found both nearly identical to the Anandas once EQ'd to Harman.

Had the Arya Stealth and found it a bit too bright with unnatural timbre, preferring the HD600.

Demoed the Arya Stealth and HE1000 Stealth and found the HE1000 had better bass.

After about a year the left side of their Arya Stealth suddenly stopped working.

Mains the Arya Stealth and finds it almost the same as the HEK variants.

Recently upgraded from the Arya Stealth to the HEK, but would keep the Arya if they could only have one on limited funds.

Has enjoyed the Arya Stealth for a year as a compromise between high-quality audio and good value.

Loves their Arya Stealth; its smooth, restrained bass is their favourite of any headphone they own.

The Arya Stealth squeaked and was uncomfortable with glasses until swapping to velour hybrid pads.

Owns the Arya Stealth and OG Clear and finds the Arya more spacious.

Bought an open-box Arya Stealth V3 from HiFiMAN for $1299 that arrived as new and is very happy.

Chose the Arya V3 over the V2 after months of research and is glad they did.

Enjoyed the Arya V3's timbre over the HD600, which they returned.

Found the Arya Stealth excellent for its price but too analytical without much musicality.

Went from the Arya Stealth to a DT1990/660S combo and finds the Arya a league above in soundstage, separation and detail.

Has the Arya Stealth on an Element 2 and finds it terrific, open and spacious.

Their Arya Stealth on a FiiO K9 Pro is their favourite, used for everything.

Loves their Arya Stealth for gaming and everything in between.

Owns the Aeon RT Closed and finds the Arya Stealth sounds better, less veiled with clearer mids and highs.

Finds the Arya Stealth outclasses the Aeon Closed RT with very deep bass, even giving their E3 a run for its money.

Loved their Arya Stealth and only sold it to take a break from the hobby.

Owning both, the Arya Stealth layers and images better than the Edition XS and sounds fuller and more natural, though the XS is a little wider.

The Arya Stealth is their primary headphone, though its treble is at the upper limit of what they enjoy.

After a year with the Arya Stealth, they put their T1s away for good; the Arya is just right.

Despite owning the Susvara, they always missed their Arya Stealth and ordered another pair.

Their Arya Stealth is a daily driver worn for many hours, comfortable with no clamping issues.

Their Arya Stealth sounded more centred and intimate than the Organic, so they let it go.

Had both Arya Stealth and Organic but preferred their Focal Clear MG.

Returned the Arya Stealth after two weeks and got the Arya Organic instead.

Couldn't stand the Arya Stealth before PEQ, but tuned to neutral it's hard to beat for the price.

Got the Arya Stealth two days ago and is blown away, with oratory's EQ plus a little more bass.

After over a year, the Arya Stealth never wowed them the way the HD 800 S did.

Had both the HD 800 S and Arya Stealth and kept the Arya.

Their Arya Stealth beats their Ananda Stealth, but only by about 20 percent on a good day.

Owns the Arya Stealth and HD 800 S but finds neither twice as good as the HD 58X.

The Arya Stealth comes close to their favourite headphone.

The Arya Stealth sounds more open than the LCD-X.

The Arya Stealth was their daily driver before the Mod House Tungsten; similar soundstage, but the Tungsten is better in bass, sibilance and everything else.

Bought the Arya Stealth for gaming and the right channel cut out after 30 seconds; while working it had good stage and comfort but less richness than their SJY headphones.

The Arya Stealth is their endgame: slightly more detail than the Sundara with the same character, and big enough cups for their large ears.

Their Arya Stealth arrived with a dead left driver, which turned them off the brand.

Finds their Arya Stealth pretty good with EQ.

A lifelong Sennheiser owner who found the Arya Stealth unlistenably bright stock, but after EQ calls it the best headphone they've heard.

“As a Sennheiser owner for life, The Arya Stealth was unlistenable for me without EQ. Way wáy to bright. After EQ'ing, they are the best headphones i've ever heard.”

After their DT 1990's left driver broke after four years, daily drives the Arya Stealth and is really happy; the DT 1990 punched a bit harder but they prefer the Arya otherwise, including comfort.

Bought the Arya Stealth for about A$630 and found it amazing next to their DT 990, FiiO FT1 and Sundara.

Despite reviews calling it great for FPS, finds the Arya Stealth much harder to pinpoint enemies with than their Xenns Tea Pro in Apex.

Owns the Arya Stealth and the Xenns Tea Pro and prefers the Tea Pro overall for music and gaming.

Owns the Arya Stealth and has tried the Organic, which sounds like a slightly more V-shaped Stealth; prefers the Stealth as more balanced and neutral.

Bought the Arya Stealth and kept it long term after the Edition XV, alongside the HE1000 Stealth and Unveiled. Praises the huge stage, precise imaging, separation, detail and linear bass that takes EQ well, and calls it the best-value open-back for gaming; stock treble can be sharp, which Dekoni Elite Velour pads fixed for them. Scores it 9.5/10.

“Arya Stealth has excellent extension and air. That helps with detail, space and positional accuracy. The issue is sharpness. For my ears, the 8K area can get spicy and long sessions can become fatiguing stock.”

Bought an Arya Stealth whose leather was peeling and stitching coming undone; Hifiman said that was within their quality control, so they refunded it immediately.

“I bought an Arya Stealth once. The leather was peeling and the stitching was coming undone. I reached out to them (through Amazon), and they told me that's acceptable within their QC. I never refunded anything so fast.”

The first Arya Stealth got deep scratches on the headband bridge within five minutes and took over a month to replace. The replacement sounded incredible, with great clarity, separation and soundstage, but its right driver rattles in deep bass (20–80 Hz), with a loose plastic piece and cracked pad rings.

“The second pair finally arrived, and surprisingly, they sounded MUCH better than the first. The clarity, separation, soundstage and overall balance were incredible. I was genuinely blown away.”

Bought an Arya Stealth new and the right driver briefly cut out whenever they turned their head quickly, so they returned it and bought another brand. Sees Hifiman as good value but with poor quality control.

“Yes, I bought an Arya Stealth new off of Amazon and noticed that the right driver would abruptly cut out, only for 1-2 seconds, if I abruptly turned my head to the side.”

The right earcup of their first Arya Stealth died within a few days of light use. They returned it, bought another pair and have had no issues since, but don't think Hifiman has the best quality control.

“when I first bought the Arya stealth, the right earcup completely went out after only a few days and I had only briefly used them like twice in that time.”

Has owned two pairs of Arya Stealth without problems, but adjusts the headband carefully because it scratches easily if handled roughly.

“I have owned two pairs of Arya Stealth, no issues but I am careful with the adjustment on the headband since it absolutely can scratch if you are rough with it.”

The Arya Stealth blew them away, with amazing soundstage and imaging and a fast, powerful sub-bass; recommends a used pair despite Hifiman's quality-control problems.

“You can get a used pair of Arya Stealth within that budget, and those definitely blew me away. Amazing soundstage and imaging, and absolutely stunning low end with a fast and powerful sub bass.”