HiFiMAN have been releasing headphones like hotcakes recently. Mighty fine hotcakes though, that’s for sure. The high-end Chinese manufacturer recently “unveiled” their “Unveiled” series of headphones which are all refreshes of existing models in their lineup.
First came the Susvara Unveiled, which debuted a completely open driver design with the exclusion of a traditional grilled backing. As the company did with their innovative Stealth magnet tech, HiFiMAN have since trickled down the Unveiled design into more affordable headphones. We saw the HE1000 Unveiled (review coming soon) and now we have the latest addition, the Arya Unveiled.
Coming in at $1,449, this iteration of the Arya utilizes much of the same technology as the $8,000 Susvara Unveiled. So is it the bargain of the century, or just a more expensive Arya variant? Read on to find out.
Technology
By removing the grilles at the back of the headphone, HiFiMAN claim that the diaphragm of its planar magnetic driver is able to move without any obstructions caused by sound waves reflecting back off the grilles if they were present.
You can replicate this effect by simply placing your hands over the cups on any open-back planar magnetic pair of headphones; sounds will become muffled and distorted. This is because the sound waves are reflecting off your hands back towards the diaphragm and adversely affecting its movement.
By removing any obstructions at the back of the diaphragm, HiFiMAN believe that it helps widen the soundstage and improve imaging depth. We will see if this was the case in the “listening” section of this review.
Said diaphragm is also less than a millionth of a meter thick, which HiFiMAN refer to as a Nanometer Thickness Diaphragm. The company says this improves the sonic quality in multiple ways, including dynamics and transient response times.
Stealth Magnets are also present on the Arya Unveiled. This means the magnets which control the movement of the diaphragm are shaped in an acoustically streamlined manner which minimizes its own inherent influence on the sound waves produced. This allows the sound quality to remain pure and unfiltered, at least according to HiFiMAN’s marketing.
Moving onto the technical specifications, the Arya Unveiled has an impedance of 27 Ohms and a sensitivity of 94dB/mW. The sensitivity is consistent across all Arya variants, but the impedance sits in the middle between the Organic and Stealth, at 16 and 32 Ohms respectively. Are these Dongle DAC ready or will you require something with a lot more power? You might be surprised by what we discovered.
Design & Comfort
Now you might be thinking that the lack of a protective cover on the back of the cups could increase the risk of damage. And you would be right, but as long as you aren’t surrounded by hundreds of small magnetic objects and don’t treat your headphones like a child’s toy — there’s nothing to really worry about.
Nevertheless, HiFiMAN include a set of magnetic veils which attach to the backs of each cup when you’re not using them. They are plastic but are designed to look like leather from a distance. Just make sure to take them off before pressing play; the frequency response is awful with them still attached and there is a small risk of driver damage too.
My ears touched the inner mesh, which I did not experience with the Arya Organic. A really minor negative as I didn’t feel any discomfort from this, but I know some people will feel somewhat uneasy about it.
Apart from that however, the design of the Arya Unveiled is the same as that of any Arya iteration. And that’s a good thing; it’s relatively light for a large planar magnetic at just over 400 grams and the headband and head strap distributes weight evenly across the head. I can’t wear many headphones for more than an hour or two at a time without some discomfort due to the shape of my head, but the HiFiMAN Arya Unveiled is one of few that I can wear for an extended period of time with no issues.
While the build isn’t the most inspiring with a mix of dull metals and shiny plastic cups, it feels sturdy enough to withstand a decent amount of physical abuse. Just don’t be too rough on them without the magnetic veils attached.
Listening
The majority of my listening impressions were made by hooking up the HiFiMAN Arya Unveiled to the Aune S17 Pro amplifier ($649 at Amazon), which was fed by the SMSL DO400 DAC ($499 at Amazon). This system was plugged into my laptop, which played hi-res FLAC files as well as Spotify streams.
To gauge the Arya Unveiled’s supposed ease of drivability, I also used the headphones with the iFi GO link Max, a dongle DAC pushing far less power than the S17 Pro.
With that out of the way, let’s review the latest HiFiMAN’s sonic performance.
Bass
I will be comparing the HiFiMAN Arya Unveiled to the Arya Organic a fair bit in the sound section of this review, as despite both being variants of the same headphones, they differ in their sound profile quite a lot.
A significant difference between the pair can be found in the lower frequencies. Where the Organic has a mid and sub bass lift that adds punch and kick to drums and other percussive instruments, the HiFiMAN Arya Unveiled is noticeably more laid back in its approach — which is not the same thing as overall impact.
As with most planar magnetic headphones in this price range, the Unveiled has excellent sub bass extension; you won’t notice even the slightest hint of roll-off in the normal hearing range of human beings.
The Unveiled is the more “neutral” of the two Aryas, and subjectively speaking this lends itself to a smoother, more relaxed presentation which you may or may not prefer.
The leading edge isn’t as incisive as on the Organic. Not to say the Unveiled’s bass is non-existent; I would actually say that it has a greater sense of sub bass rumble and overall bass texture than the Organic, which emphasizes the mid bass more in comparison.
In general, the Unveiled favors less hard-hitting musical genres than the Organic, which pairs well with electronic music and hip-hop among others. I enjoyed listening to “Why So Serious?” by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard from The Dark Knight’s soundtrack, especially the part of the song where a 20Hz rumble plays for a good 20 or so seconds uninterrupted. It was produced with remarkable clarity and texture on the Arya Unveiled.
Midrange
The latest Arya variant places a greater emphasis on midrange than ever before, even more so than the original Arya and Arya Stealth.
Vocals are pushed forward and portrayed with greater clarity and body. I would go as far as to say that the Arya Unveiled’s midrange performance is faintly reminiscent of that on the legendary Sennheiser HD600, without many of its drawbacks.
Male vocals carry a wonderful sense of richness with great resolution and clarity, but its the female vocals that are a significant step up from previous versions of the Arya. This is because the midrange “scoop” or recess between 1 and 2 kHz has been dramatically elevated in comparison. Whereas on the Organic, Cassie’s voice could fade into the background a little in Me & U, her vocals came right to the forefront with the Arya Unveiled with beautiful clarity and detail.
Acoustic instruments also sounded very real with a tangible quality to them. I found this immediately obvious when listening to Sade’s Like a Tattoo, where the acoustic guitar sounded as true to life as I’ve ever heard on headphones below $2,000.
Treble
Moving onto the treble frequencies, this is perhaps where the Unveiled differs the most from any other Arya, and even most HiFiMAN headphones before it.
Throughout the lower, mid and upper treble frequency ranges the Unveiled is quieter than the Organic. This results in a smoother, less harsh overall listening experience that allows one to keep listening to music for hours on end.
It’s good to find a high-end pair of headphones that doesn’t shove detail and micro dynamics down your throat. Make no mistake: the Arya Unveiled is extremely detailed but doesn’t try to show it off with elevated treble.
From a technical standpoint, the treble on the Unveiled doesn’t sacrifice speed or clarity despite its laid-back nature. Listening to the classic Take Five by Dave Brubeck, the cymbal hits are just as incisive and snappy as on the Organic. That is to say they are very well reproduced.
There’s a few drawbacks compared to the Organic, but I think many will prefer the sound of the Unveiled. This is due to the mid and upper treble being toned back considerably. A lot of people found the upper frequencies too harsh on the Organic; the Unveiled is the perfect antidote to this while maintaining many of the standout qualities of the Organic.
Imaging & Soundstage
The greater midrange emphasis has shrunken the soundstage ever so slightly compared to the original Arya and Arya Organic, but the size of the stage is by no means small. The 160mm planar magnetic drivers are some of the biggest in the game, and contribute to a decidedly expansive and far-reaching soundstage with the music at times appearing to play well beyond the edges of the earcups.
Within this soundstage, you get pinpoint imaging. Even in complex musical passages on well mastered songs such as “Semente” by Snarky Puppy, each overlapping instrument has its own well-defined space in the mix in terms of width, depth and height.
Drivability
Some high-end headphones need a lot of power to sound their best. But this isn’t really the case with the Arya Unveiled, which sounded properly driven with the iFi GO bar Kensei and GO link Max, two tiny dongles with power figures in the hundreds of milliwatts.
I did sense a slight improvement in dynamics and imaging depth when powering the Unveiled with my S17 Pro, which delivers 7.5 watts into the same impedance as the dongles, but not enough to justify the difference in price if you’re deciding if you need more power or not.
With such low impedance and high sensitivity figures on the Arya Unveiled, it’s no surprise that it can be powered by portable devices with no issues at all.
The Bottom Line
The HiFiMAN Arya Unveiled continues the Arya’s legacy as one of the best bang-for-buck headphones in the sub-$2,000 price range. It’s got an immense level of detail, is comfortable to wear and has impressive soundstaging capabilities. Where the Unveiled sets itself apart is in its tonality; more people will agree to the neutral tuning of these headphones and their relaxed treble. HiFiMAN strayed from their usual path and struck gold with the Unveiled.
Pros:
- All-day wearing comfort
- Agreeable treble tuning for the masses
- Superb soundstaging and imaging performance
Cons:
- Less protected planar magnetic drivers will scare some
- Relaxed sound with only average macro dynamics could be offputting
Where to buy:
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