I was able to audition the Arya V3 a few times now and was really impressed by it. It’s my fav. HP in the sub 2k bracket so far (though I haven’t tried Arya V2, ZMF stuff, HEDD, ADX5k, LCD-X(C) '21, LCD GX, LCD-2F, AKG K872). Hard to find faults, if I had to nitpick, maybe the soundstage could be wider, it could be faster like a Stax.
Hm… one more thing… I guess it could look like a Verite Ironwood 
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Hey, give them time to play in. The Aryas take a while to loosen up and bloom, IMO. I say this as an owner of the Ananda, Arya v2, and current owner of the v3’s (SE’s). I traded in my v2’s for the v3’s and don’t regret it one bit. My v3’s sounded very “close in” when I first played them and the bass was almost too punchy and one note-ish. I’ve been playing pink noise through them over nights and when I’m away for (it’s been about a week to ten days), and they’ve loosened up nicely. I’ve played them at slightly higher than normal listening volume and their bass, staging, and layering has improved greatly. They are approaching the SS of the v2’s now, while having better timbre and being much easier to drive.
Rhodium version is out!
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=341202907812232&id=100057675750168
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Oh I only auditioned them and decided to stay with the LCD-X for now and go for a Stax or something else at a later date. I’ll keep the Sundara as well even tough it’s not a replacement for the Arya.
Edit: I hear you, I’ll try to listen to a worn/burned in pair at some point in the future since I’ve now compared 2 Sundaras with different pad condition and noticeably different sound.
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How many hours of burn in have you had? Curious on your experience almost a month later?
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At the time of that post it may of been over a 100 hrs of burn in?
As far as my time with them, I am still enjoying them. Was there an additional question here that you specifically had a question about on the Arya? Happy to share, just let me know.
Thanks yeah I was just curious if you had felt that burn in changed the sound at all
Now that I have owned these for a couple of months, I am curious about what everyone is powering the Arya Stealth with? I have a Jot2/Modius combo. I’ve found I had to turn the knob up to between 10-11 at the most on low gain. 9 seemed a bit too soft. I’m guessing this is due to the lower impedance and also under 100 db. I know V1 and V2 were harder to drive and wonder how these relate to power for anyone that was able to test?
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A used Gustard H20 hp amp w/ an SMSL Su-9 DAC, balanced thoughout. I also have changed out the stock IC op amps to Sparkos Labs ss-3602 discretes fr. lme49720’s. My v3/Stealths have burned in very nicely (about 125 hours) and are very spacious and transparent and easier to drive than my v2’s were. I burned them in with pink noise over night-times, at a moderately louder than listening volume. Burning in at low volume doesn’t stress the driver at all and won’t allow them to “settle in”.
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I had been using a Clear Mg, but recently picked up a Sundara. I’m loving the presentation.
Would my Bifrost 2 > Jot 2 be enough for the Arya version 2? I’m looking in the after market, and prefer the biggest sound stage I can get from the Arya.
Thanks,
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I’m using Jot 2 and BF2 with Arya v2 and it sounds great. High Gain Balanced the max I reach is about 12 o clock and that’s only with Pink Floyd. Everything else around 10. I’ve heard something like the Burson Soloist 3xp is even better but that amp costs 3x as much
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Is anyone using a Valhalla 2 with the Arya?
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Widest soundstage ever…even on dongle.
Top View:
Left - Recent custom pads.
Vs
Right - All new Wider and Deeper (95mm x 65mm Cavity)
Rear Height - 35mm / Front - 17mm
4 knuckles loose, if you measure it this way.
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Experience shared by a client.
"I’ve been listening to them for a couple of days trying to get used to the new sound signature.
Comfort wise they are fantastic.
Design wise, I was surprised to see that they are angled forward much more than the original pads (i.e. the difference in thickness between front and back) - that definitely has an impact on sound profile. May be worth highlighting.
Sound wise, they sound great, except that they increase some treble around the 6-8k range and creating some sibilance. This is something I didn’t have with original pads that is a downside. I’m waiting a few more days to get accustomed and see if this goes away. I am generally not treble sensitive, but this is notable. The bass is very good with a hint of added texture. Sound stage is comparable (which is good, as it needed no fixing).
Generally positive overall, with one aspect of sibilance that I need to see how goes."
The Follow Up
"Yes, and It’s Great
i’d some it up like this - it’s a luxury purchase, that probably most people that buy a headphone at the 1-1.5k shouldn’t afford (it costs about $200 delivered vs. $50-100 of other known brand competitors). But it definitely feels VERY luxurious, super comfortable, and now that I’ve gotten used to it also sounds great.
So I’m happy I got it!! great job man. I’m curious, are you making these yourself? I never came across your brand before, is this a new startup? happy to give you a good plug."
Notable Mentioned.
"Thanks 
I just replaced the EL34 tubes last week to fatty looking ones (Sophia Electronics), and also happens to sound great.
This definitely feels very luxurious, hand made item. One can tell this is quality. Just like picking up any high end product, it comes across immediately. The pads are VERY thick and wide, just as comfortable as any pads I put on. This enough would be worth it.
As to tonality, I love the Arya V2’s stock pad tonality, so wasn’t looking to fix anything (I like it better than the Stealth; and I also have the Susvara, and find the Arya V2 is different enough that I like keeping it). The good thing about the pads, frankly, is that they keep the original tonality more or less unchanged. One thing that is very notable, is that the pads are angled much more dramatically. The resulting change that I could note is that tredble around the 6-8k Hrz is elevated. This initially resulted in sibilance to my ears that I didn’t hear before. I did get used to it so it’s fading. I suspect that, to some, that slight increase in treble may be perceived as an increased sound stage, so it may prove to be a plus, depending on who listens to it.
I’d recommend it to someone that feels simply like splurging. That’s what this purchase feels like, and - sometimes - that’s good in and off itself "
Photo credit by Mr. Eyal S.
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