In this article we review the Hifiman Arya Organic headphone, selling for $1,299 USD.
Disclaimer: Hifiman sent us the Arya Organic free of charge in exchange for this review.
Hifiman
It is simply impossible that you have not heard of Hifiman. They are China-based personal audio company led by Dr. Fang Bian and they have been around for easily 10 to 15 years.
What we like about Hifiman is that they are an innovative company, and they continue to R&D new goodies for us Audiophiles. More importantly, they let trickle-down high-end technologies to their lower-range units, and that results in a very impressive headphone line-up.
Another thing I appreciate is the fact that they have great gear in all segments of the market. No matter what budget you have to spend, Hifiman has you covered with something good.
We’ve reviewed much Hifiman gear in the past at Headfonia, and each time we get excited as if it’s the first time. Just type Hifiman in our search box. For those of you who’d like to know more about Hifiman and its founder, there’s always this interview we did with him.
In addition, Lieven reviewed the HE1000 Stealth version just a few days ago, and recommended it, as below:
Hifiman Arya Organic
Well, I guess you have good knowledge about the Hifiman Arya model. When it was first released, I had a chance to listen to it in CanJam London about 4 years ago. I was quite impressed and I included it as one of the positive takeaways from the show.
Then Hifiman came with the Stealth version. The Stealth Versions of Hifiman units became quite popular in the market lately. I have bought an Arya Stealth model, hence I’ll compare these two soon in the article.
The Hifiman Arya Organic is an open-back planar magnetic headphone to use at home in a more silent environment. It is I think the 4th revision of the original non-stealth Arya, which is no longer available. The first Arya was released somewhere in 2018-19 I think, and the V2 revision in 2020. With its $1,299 price point, it is in the higher part of the Mid-Fi segment. Some would call it the lower part of the high-end segment.
The main reason for Arya Organic’s existence is that Hifiman wanted to provide a more musical and warmer option to the Arya SE model. So we can assume that this variant would sound more full-bodied and “organic” and the model name reflects that.
Technology
The Hifiman Arya Organic, other than the new tuning, has identical technology and design to the Arya SE model. The below section is copied from the Arya SE Review:
Stealth Magnets feature a special shape that allows sound waves to pass through without generating interference. Hifiman’s advanced magnet design is acoustically transparent, dramatically reducing wave diffraction turbulence that degrades the integrity of the sound waves. The reduced distortion yields pure sonic output that is accurate and full range.
The Arya Stealth drivers also feature Hifiman’s famous nanometer-thickness diaphragm. A breakthrough core technology developed by Hifiman and the first of its kind in headphone application. Working with this advanced material is extremely challenging yet the successful incorporation of this film as the Arya’s planar driver is the cornerstone of its remarkable sound.
The Arya Stealth drivers also make use of Hifiman’s Advanced Asymmetrical Magnetic Circuit (double-sided asymmetrical magnet circuit) to obtain the perfect balance between high driver efficiency and high sound quality.
The Arya Organic uses the standard 3.5mm connectors, meaning that you can easily replace the stock cable with a nice aftermarket one, or one of Hifiman’s balanced cables. The cable that comes with the headphone is a single Crystalline Copper cable featuring a 6.35mm plug. However, at this price point, the inclusion of a balanced XLR/Pentaconn cable would have been nice.
Design & Comfort
There’s nothing new with the design of the Arya Orgaic, and the metal and high-grade plastic built headphone feature the typical shape of earcups and headbands as we have seen many times before.
Compared to the all-black Arya Stealth, the new Organic variant features a wooden-looking trim on the ear cups. I’m not sure if these are genuine wood, since they look and feel like some kind of coating material. However, the look is refreshing and has a more premium style than the SE version.
Not that the SE looks bad, but compared to this new Organic variant, the SE looks subtler and sharper. This one looks like a nice headphone to sit in your living room.
Hifiman designed Arya’s high-quality metal headband with extra strength and a special high-grade plastic for lightweight comfort and rugged durability. I find it to be a very comfy headband, and it allows you to perfectly position the headphone on your head. The side pressure is perfect, but the top of your head pressure is non-existing.
The Arya Stealth weighs 440g, but as the pressure is perfectly spread, it together with the soft perfectly sealing earpads (pleather + polyester, not velour) and asymmetrical ear cup shape, makes using this headphone a pure joy. Even for long listening sessions.
Hifiman uses its Window Shade system for driver protection and to optimize the open-back design. By using the Window Shade tech, you get a wider soundstage, outstanding image, and remarkable clarity. Because of its open-back character, I would recommend the Arya Organic primarily for home/desktop use. It is a rather easy-to-drive headphone (16Ω vs 32Ω Stealth), and that means you can use it about anywhere. A lot of sounds leak out though, so do take that into account.
Page 2: Build Quality & Connection, Specifications & Price & Accessories, Sound
Page 3: Comparisons & Conclusion
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