Buy the Hifiman HE1000 Stealth at Audio46 – use code AUDIONOTIONS for 5% off
Buy the Hifiman Arya Organic at Audio46 – use code AUDIONOTIONS for 5% off
Introduction
If you’re reading this, Hifiman is a brand that [probably] needs no introduction. Anyone who has dabbled in the personal audio hobby or who has done any research into headphones at nearly any price bracket has probably considered purchasing or has owned a Hifiman headphone. This isn’t surprising given the sheer number of models the company puts out, in addition to the fact that Hifiman headphones top the charts for every single price bracket from the budget headphone range all the way up into the multiple kilobuck range.
Earlier this year, Hifiman released the HE1000 Stealth which is sometimes called the HE1000 V2 Stealth and is not to be confused with the HE1000 SE. The HE1000 lineup has long been a halo model in the Hifiman stable, with the original model costing $3000. In the past, the gulf between the incredibly popular Hifiman Arya and the HE1000 series was over $1000 and the two would never have been cross shopped. With the new HE1000 Stealth, Hifiman has lowered the barrier of entry to this series and while these are still very expensive at their new price of $1399, they are now within shooting range of the Arya.
For the past few weeks I’ve been listening to the HE1000 Stealth and it almost immediately rose to the top of my list of favorite portable audio gear being well tuned and incredibly technically proficient. But at $1399, I would have been remiss not to also give the newly released Hifiman Arya Organic, which comes in at $1299 a listen. With only $100 between the two, I found myself incredibly curious to see which one would come out on top, and I’m sure I’m not the only one!
Build, Accessories, Fit, and Aesthetics
In typical Hifiman fashion, both headphones are shipped in a cardboard box within a cardboard box with a removable foam insert that serves as a makeshift headphone stand. Inside the box is a smaller box – in which the Arya Organic comes with a relatively short paracord cable terminated in a 6.35mm jack, and the HE1000 Stealth comes with two rubber coated cables, one terminated in XLR and the other in a 6.35mm jack. The boxes, needless to say are spartan affairs and the star of the show in both cases, is the headphones themselves.
While I haven’t actually experienced previous Arya models, this fourth iteration of the Arya, color aside, is built quite similarly to the HE1000 Stealth, even down to the wood veneer that wraps around each side. These are the only differences I can tell in terms of build:
- The HE1000 headband is a perforated genuine leather band that seems to be quite durable while the Arya Organic is a thinner (possibly faux) leather band with some sort of padding inside. If I were to venture a guess, I’d be much more confident that the band on the HE1000 Stealth will last a lot longer.
- The adjustment piece on the HE1000 Stealth is engraved with the Hifiman logo while it’s laser etched on the Arya Organic.
- While the grills on both are metal, the outside ring surrounding the grill on the HE1000 Stealth is made of metal while the same piece on the Arya Organic is plastic.
Of these differences, the only one that I am remotely concerned with is the headband but it is nonetheless something to think about. Overall, the HE1000 Stealth is slightly better built but the difference is not huge.
Fit and comfort is almost identical between the two models with the Arya Organic weighing a bit less at 440g compared to the HE1000 Stealth at 458g. 18 grams isn’t a lot, granted but over longer listening sessions it may make a difference. Given the number of hours I sit at a desk each day with poor posture, I personally appreciate the reduction in weight, however small.
Aesthetically, both are quite handsome with the HE1000 Stealth looking more premium due to the extra contrast between the wood, silver finishing, and black pads, but the more subtle, blacked-out look of the Arya Organic is more my cup of tea.
One thing to note is that the HE1000 Stealth comes with a 2 year warranty from Hifiman while the Arya Organic only comes with a 1 year warranty. This is a non-trivial thing as I have heard of Hifiman QC issues (but have also heard of their excellent warranty service so this extra year might be well worth the extra $100). In both cases, I believe you by registering the headphones, Hifiman extends the warranty by 6 months.
Winner: HE1000 Stealth
Sound
Hifiman headphones tend to follow a house sound that is a neutral bright signature with slight variations and looking at graphs for each model, they tend to look very similar. The HE1000 Stealth and the Arya Organic are no exceptions to this and those who know they are sensitive to brighter headphones might want to be wary. Nonetheless, graphs only tell part of the story and how these headphones sound can vary a lot. For example, I was unable to listen to the Meze 109 Pro for long due to some peaks that caused a headache but have zero issues with the HE1000 Stealth or the Arya Organic. With that out of the way, let’s move on to what everyone has been waiting for.
Bass
Bass on both headphones extends down to the lowest audible frequencies and both have a similarly satisfying rumble and slam. Both are sufficiently bassy and do have a good amount of punch and slam – they both have a good amount of physicality and tactility that is can be quite satisfying. The HE1000 Stealth seems to be a bit more controlled and focused here – the slam and rumble seems a bit more contained and focused while bass is a bit more elevated on the Arya. I’m not sure if it’s because of the tuning, but the HE1000 Stealth bass does feel a bit tighter. I don’t think anyone would be dissatisfied with the bass on either of these headphones.
Winner: Tie – Definitely a case of “picking your poison.” Both flavors are different enough that there will be some that prefer one to the other. I personally enjoy the focused bass of the HE1000 Stealth more, but appreciate the extra punch added by the extra bass on the Arya Organic.
Mids
Those familiar with the Hifiman house sound might already know to expect a slightly recessed mid-range. The HE1000 Stealth definitely follows this trend and I’d describe the overall sound signature as U-shaped. There is an audible dip in the upper mids that has the effect of moving female vocals and instruments a bit further out in the mix and as a result lends to an incredibly clean mid range with excellent instrument clarity, separation, and imaging. I can’t understate how clean the midrange sounds on the HE1000 Stealth – it quite possibly is the most proficient thing I’ve heard in this regard. While the midrange isn’t incredibly thin, notes could use a bit more body especially vocals. On the contrary, the Arya Organic doesn’t seem to have as much of a recession in the upper mids. This fills in the midrange quite nicely. Vocals on the Arya Organic, both male and female, are noticeably fuller than on the HE1000 Stealth. I was actually quite surprised with the lusher mids on the Arya Organic and found myself enjoying the music quite a bit more, whereas on the HE1000 Stealth, part of my attention shifted to listening to details in songs. The tradeoff to the thicker sounding midrange on the Arya Organic is that separation and clarity do take a noticeable hit and on AB, the Arya Organic can sound a bit more congested despite all the details being there – the caveat here is that if I listen to the Arya Organic without first listening to the HE1000 Stealth, I never feel like it’s congested. Which one you prefer will come down to which tuning you prefer – the HE1000 Stealth is the more clinical of the two, while the Arya Organic is the more “musical.” This leads me to wonder if one might be able to get the best of both worlds by pairing the HE1000 Stealth with a warmer source like a tube amp.
Winner: HE1000 Stealth by a hair (I do prefer the tuning of the Arya Organic but the clarity of the HE1000 Stealth is a step up)
Treble
Things get very interesting here. Both the HE1000 Stealth and the Arya Organic are without a doubt brighter headphones – anyone sensitive to treble should be be wary. I wouldn’t be surprised if they graphed almost identically in this region. However, when switching between the two, I found that certain instruments in the upper registers seemed slightly more forward on the HE1000 Stealth. While never crossing into the territory of sibilant, percussion instruments and cymbals, for example, tended to be just a tad more apparent, sometimes drawing my attention away from vocals and other instruments that one might typical consider to be solo instruments. This didn’t bother me too much but it was an oddity that I noticed, especially when A/B-ing with the Arya Organic. It makes me wonder if this is an artifact of the treble on the Arya Organic being balanced out by the added bass shelf. Either way, I enjoy both quite a bit.
Winner: Tie
Technical Performance
Both the HE1000 Stealth and the Arya Organic are quite proficient in the technicalities department. I suppose this isn’t too surprising as all Hifiman headphones I have tried have been strong technical performers in their respective price brackets. However, between these two headphones there are noticeable differences.
Soundstage
While both have soundstages on the larger size, the HE1000 Stealth has the wider and deeper soundstage of the two. Both will noticeably larger sounding than the likes of the Sennheiser 6×0 series, the Meze 109 Pro, or any Focal headphones, for example, but don’t quite match up to the size of the Sennheiser HD800S. On the HE1000 Stealth, most if not all instruments and voices tend to seem positioned out of head, whereas on the Arya Stealth, the stage is narrower, still out of head, with certain instruments and voices positioned much more intimately which offers a nice experience.
Winner: Tie – While the HE1000 Stealth has the larger stage, the Arya Organic does offer a more interesting, nuanced stage if that makes sense.
Imaging and Separation
Listening to the Arya Organic on it’s own, you get the sense that you can hear where each individual instrument and voice is located with good separation. You don’t really get the sense that things are too congested or muddy and it is quite impressive. But put on the HE1000 Stealth and that goes out the window. The HE1000 Stealth is notably more precise, instrument separation is noticeably more clear, and frankly, it makes the Arya Organic seem less impressive on A/B. In this regard, I’d probably say the Arya Organic would be a 7 or 8/10 while the HE1000 Stealth would be a 9/10. While Arya Organic is very, very good here, the HE1000 Stealth is on another level – almost shockingly so.
Winner: HE1000 Stealth
Details and Resolution
I initially had the sense that the HE1000 Stealth was the more resolving of the two. This is not so. On A/B, I couldn’t pick out any details I heard on the HE1000 Stealth that I didn’t hear on the Arya Organic. Perhaps, this is due to the HE1000 Stealth having the more clean sound signature or the more precise imaging and separation. With the HE1000 Stealth, details in the music are served up directly and shoved right in your face and with the Arya Organic, the details are all there, waiting to be discovered.
Winner: Tie – I personally prefer to enjoy the music more while having the option to listen more critically so my vote goes to the Arya Organic but others might prefer a more clinical listen and would be better served by the HE1000 Stealth. Either way, both are fantastically detailed headphones.
Transients and Decay
For both headphones, transients, the initial attack or leading edge of notes is very quick and crisp. The Arya Organic seems to have a slightly longer decay on the notes than the HE1000 Stealth, which can lead to it sounding just a bit thicker and less controlled but again, without A/B-ing the two sets, I’d never call the Arya Organic slow or messy at all. Nonetheless, on A/B, the Arya Organic does come off as a tad bit more sloppy than the immaculately crisp and clean HE1000 Stealth. The HE1000 Stealth takes the win here for those looking for a more incisive sound and the Arya Organic might sound more pleasing for those who like something less clinical.
Winner: HE1000 Stealth
Dynamics
Both headphones perform quite well in the dynamics department. I’m not hearing much of a difference between either of these headphones in dynamics – both portray minute gradations in softer and louder sounds quite well.
Winner: Tie
Timbre
And finally the timbre of both of these headphones is excellent, not even just for planar headphones. Instruments and voices sound correct to my ear – no weird metallic or plasticy sounds to my ear at least. The more punchy Arya Organic does add a bit of fun coloration to the sound but it’s still within the range of what I’d consider natural. Which one you prefer will be highly dependent on the type of music you listen to. For me, grander orchestral pieces tend to suit the HE1000 Stealth more while other genres like jazz are be more suited to the Arya Organic. One thing of note is that the brighter signature of the HE1000 Stealth does make things in the upper mid range (like female vocals and violins) sound sweeter and more clear which I appreciate. But at the same time, the Arya Organic adds back in a bit of body to male and female vocals and overall sounds a bit more enjoyable than the HE1000 Stealth which, again, can sound a bit more clinical. In my opinion, the Arya Organic is the more engaging of the two.
Winner: Arya Organic
Closing Thoughts
I went into this shootout fully expecting one of these two headphones to reign supreme and given that the HE1000 series is Hifiman’s halo line, I would not have been surprised to quickly come to the conclusion that the HE1000 Stealth is simply a superior headphone. That was not the case and unfortunately I can’t simply suggest one of the the other and call it a day. These two recent Hifiman releases are excellent in their own right and it really comes down to what you’re looking for in a headphone.
What I can say is that the HE1000 Stealth lives up to its name as a halo model in Hifiman’s stable – it is unapologetically resolving and clean sounding with excellent extension on both ends, while remaining very well tonally balanced. Imaging and separation are top of class and timbre is natural. It’s an incredibly high performing headphone that will unlikely offend anyone except for the most treble sensitive folks.
The Arya Organic retains a lot of the technical characteristics of the HE1000 Stealth, namely the large stage, phenomenal extension on both ends, and detail retrieval. Where things start to differ is in tonality with the Arya Organic being the more fun sounding headphone. The Arya Organic ditches the clinical sound of the HE1000 Stealth, adding a bit more bass punch and upper mids presence. The tradeoff is that imaging and separation capabilities are a step down from the mindblowing HE1000 Stealth.
In terms of sound, it will really come down to personal preferences. I personally am partial to the Arya Organic because I value a more fun and engaging sound over sheer technicalities. Apart from sound considerations, the HE1000 Stealth is also slightly better built and come with an additional year of warranty.
There are a lot of things to consider for anyone considering purchasing a headphone that costs as much as these two. Even more so, the choice is made even more difficult given that there is currently only a $100 difference between the two. In the end, Hifiman is on a roll and has knocked it out of the park with the HE1000 Stealth and the Arya Organic. I can unequivocally say that there is no wrong choice here. If you choose one over the other, know that you are getting your money’s worth and rather than considering one to be better than the other, I consider these two to be side grades and would be happy owning either of these even as my only headphone. I just hope my comparisons make your choice a bit more easy to make!
1 comment
Hi…;-).
Fantastic review! Many thanks for that. I am currently trying to decide between these two models. After reading your review I am leaning towards the Arya Organic.
/Hans
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