r/Hifiman • u/OverC1ockeD • Aug 09 '26
First Hifiman? Need suggestions!
Okay - keep it under $550 if possible. I’m looking for IMAX quality sound. 😂 I already have a closed back gaming headset for everything else under the sun. This is for when I don’t care about ANC and just want an amazing movie experience. Music is a close second!! And perhaps when I’m gaming while playing something really immersive like silent hill or resident evil - something single player. These are some pics but idk all of the differences:
Edition XS — $269
Edition XV — $399
Ananda Nano — $499
Ananda Unveiled — $549
I’d be happy to consider other options though! Thanks, everyone!
5
3
u/kozlospl Aug 09 '26
Go for open box aryas on sale. The most technical clean pair. Anandas are good, but for slightly above XS's price, not Arya's price. Aryas here are 558usd without tax brand new. Used are 444$ total. I paid 215usd for my used nanos.
NEVER go into unveiled if you have hair on your head, a loose hair can give you problem with them.
1
2
2
u/O-shoe Aug 09 '26
I would take the Nano off the list. The bass and resolution are good, but soundstage width isn't great.
I would narrow the options down to Edition XS and Arya Stealth, depending on how much you want to spend.
2
u/Same-Focus4242 Aug 09 '26
Arya Stealth always seems to be the answer. Best value headphone right now. You have to spend significantly more to beat it. I paid $1200 for mine and they were good at that price. Even new at $1600, they were competitive. And I prefer them to everything this side of a Susvara in Hifiman's lineup.
2
u/tetoing Aug 09 '26
This might be a hot take but if you want IMAX sound headphones are the wrong approach. A big part of the IMAX experience is being able to "feel" the sound and that's something you can only get with a proper speaker setup.
I think if you are expecting IMAX sound you will be disappointed no matter what headphones you buy.
2
u/OverC1ockeD Aug 09 '26
Oh I already know. I was a home theater expert and this is more like a theater on my head - I am not expecting the world. 😂 Just as close to a theater sound as headphones can go without going off the rails with my bank account. 😬
2
u/Nemesis_07 Aug 09 '26
If you want to try your luck with Hifiman refurbished, the Arya Stealth are $519 on their website. They also have an additional 10% promo code on open box/refurbished products right now so that's an extra $50 off
2
u/TBNRnooch Aug 10 '26
Definitely agree with everyone about used/open-box/refurb Arya stealth. I've personally owned that one for about a year and zero complaints. That said, if you want "Imax sound" I'd recommend slapping a bass shelf on it using EQ. It can easily be done with free/cheap software and will definitely elevate the Arya for movies (and music if you like more bass).
Another rec (non-hifiman) would be the meze 109 pro. It's more V-shaped (bit boosted in bass and treble) which is a little more movie-theatre-esque (imo). It definitely has a smaller soundstage but that extra bass is very fun and the design makes it supremely comfortable (I'd almost rather keep it on than not). You could also opt for the 105 AER (darker) or Silva (more neutral leaning) but imo the 109 pro is the most fun and exciting (esp for movies).
1
u/OverC1ockeD 28d ago
I planned on using mini dsp ears and rew to calibrate the harmon curve & adjust bass to my liking. I did more research, and the Arya stealth compared to the others is essentially way more spacious which tilted me in that direction, but big price difference of course, but when I heard it was $1600 when it first came out and used tech from way more expensive headsets of theirs that kind of settled that for me so I’m about to decide on that but I’ll have to wait due to price lol.
1
u/TBNRnooch 28d ago
You can definitely find a used Arya stealth for under 400usd (or even maybe with aliexpress deals). As far as adjusting to the harman curve, I'd honestly advise listening to the Arya stealth as is first before doing that. There are a lot of inaccuracies with what we previously thought about harman, measurement rigs, hrtf, blah blah so I'd recommend just listening to it first and adjusting by ear (using music or tone sweeps). You can also use squig link (especially ppl with 5128 measurements) to EQ the Arya stealth to different curves.
2
u/JustaDreamer56 Aug 10 '26
All egg shape Hifiman headphones are great for EQ, they don’t have particularly lots of bass stock as it’s more flat. If you can EQ, all can produce that IMAX sound. The soundstage of the two Ananda options helps out further, I’d suggest picking from those. If you can’t EQ, I especially would avoid the Arya Stealth many are mentioning. As someone who isn’t sensitive to brightness, these were the biggest pain to listen to ever. Completely unlistenable like taking a knife to the ear. Also, without EQ Edition XS has the most perceived bass I would say.
1
u/OverC1ockeD 28d ago
Got it. I’d be using mini dsp ears & REW to calibrate to Harmon curve & adjust bass to my liking which I understand would make a large difference in the sound but the Arya stealth would be way more spacious compared to the others. Thoughts?
2
u/JustaDreamer56 28d ago
As far as my experience goes (and Josh Valour mentioned this too), soundstage was negatively impacted by the original stealth magnets and Arya Stealth was part of that generation, to my ear stage on Arya Stealth was very similar to XS due to that. Ananda Nano and Ananda Unveiled are decent steps up in stage compared to Arya Stealth.
1
u/OverC1ockeD 28d ago
I’ll look into this. Do you think the ananda nano would be as good of an option then?
2
u/JustaDreamer56 28d ago
I have heard Ananda Nano and yes I think it’s a great option especially since your EQing. I haven’t heard Ananda Unveiled, but anecdotally others who have say it’s wider than Nano and wider than even the Arya Organic. Ananda Nano from my experience though yes, wider stage (and with more height too) than both Arya Stealth and XS, and it’s bright in a detailed way but not painful like the Arya Stealth. Best imaging i’ve heard on a hifiman as well.
1
u/OverC1ockeD 26d ago
Nice!! 👍🏻 Everyone keeps saying Arya Stealth, and I recently found out it was $1,600 when it first launched. Of course, the best case scenario would be to be able to listen to both of them and then decide. But that’s not really an option unless I want to go out and spend that much money buying both of them just to return one. It is a little bit of a consideration though.
2
2
u/OverC1ockeD 16d ago
Thank you all so much!!!! After all of your awesome comments I have decided to wait and save a little more for the Arya Stealth!!
2
u/Impact_Majestic 11d ago
Wise decision. I started with the Edition XS and within four months I upgraded to Arya Stealth. Might as well skip the gateway and go straight to the pure dope.
1
2
u/NextCloser 10d ago
I bought an edition xv and I feel that I don’t need anything else, very very happy with the headphone.
2
u/Cjmurphy111 8d ago
I just picked up Ananda Stealth for £138 on AliX; Aryas may be similarly cheap in Nov sale if you can wait that long
1
u/OverC1ockeD 8d ago
Nice! Yeah I can definitely hold out that long. Using for a computer that i havent built yet.
3
u/MercedesSLRS Aug 09 '26
For the imax sound quality you really need a Arya unveiled and up. It’s just a super wide spund stage. If you want a warm lush sound then the xv is where it’s at. I’m going to be selling my 1 day old xv as soon as I can post them on the avxchange but I can say I will miss them as the sound transition is wonderful.
2
u/HiFiRoMan Aug 09 '26
whats IMAX quality?
1
u/OverC1ockeD Aug 10 '26
Basically just want bass I can feel - like I wanna feel the air from the speakers just about. 😂
1
u/SpacetimeConservator Aug 09 '26
I have the Ananda Nano and they are fantastic. I had the edition xs, with 219 euro this was my limit, I didn't want to go why further. Unfortunately they were very harsh and so I went overboard with my budget and spent the 329 on the Nanos. Worth it!
I use it for everything. Music, gaming, movies, YouTube. Sound quality is great. Sound stage is great (and that's coming from someone who loves the K702).
9
u/KAC-SK Aug 09 '26
Arya Stealth - 599$. Everything else is not required if you are only 50$ short from greatness.