Alex S. is a sound designer and voice-over artist who has worked in film, commercials, and podcasts. Strangely disjointed soundstage. Headphones and Headphone Amplifier Reviews. TBH I was debating whether to sell my SP1000 Copper dac while it's still new/sealed & just buy a portable dac/headphone amp to use with my Iphone, reasoning that I might be able to get better bang for the buck that way. Solid tuning with close to top-tier resolution. For detail retrieval and textural nuance, especially in the treble regions, I find that it edges out the Arya slightly. Really nice instruments and vocals. Comfort is good but it is noticeable on my jawline. But as mentioned, there are some changes. Muffled, narrow-sounding, and lacking surface-level detail. In particular, I found that it had a bit too much energy at 6khz, and it was a bit sharp for consonant sounds like S, F, and T, around 8.5khz. Very strong bass weight with beautiful tonality across the spectrum. The reviews seemed to emphasize that they are very smooth in their frequency response, with better dynamics than the Aryas. Harman-ish tuning with a strong mid-bass presence and piercing upper treble response. I think theres an argument for potentially EQing up the 2khz dip, but I also dont think its necessary. One of the better midrange planars out there. Okay, bear with me, please. These two headphones seem to have decent soundstage as well as great imaging, also capable for music But I want to know the difference between the two. Focal Clear Mg The HiFiMan Arya are better headphones for neutral sound than the Focal Clear Mg. Very good balance and separation. Support more content like this by shopping on Headphones.com. Odd upper-midrange tuning results in a scratchy, uneven presentation. EQ has nicely tamed the midrange. Indeed. I hear the musicians breathing. DISCLOSURE: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com, affiliated sites and sponsors. It has the same suspension headband design, large tear-shape ear cups, and an all-black color scheme. I loved the utopia, but they are a bit out of my budget with needing to get a new dac/amp as well. Needs more upper midrange. Excellent drum thwack. However, the new version features HIFIMAN's newly developed . Lacking serious extension for a planar. If you could only own one of the above headphones, which would you pick and why? Nice decay. The tonality for both is fairly similar, with the Arya having a bit more energy in the lower treble, and then also a bit more in the air region above 12khz. But it's so well-tuned you may not even care. Bland and unexciting tuning with compressed staging and generally underperforming technicalities. Holds up best to drum flurry. The Clear is the middle-ground high-end model from Focal, sitting between the (now discontinued) Elear and the Utopia. To aid searching, ranks without the + or symbol will be marked with a =. We consider a lower weight better because lighter devices are more comfortable to carry. Very nice balance at beginning. A classic example of a highly resolving yet wonky sounding headphone. This song is best on these headphones. Soundstage a bit closed in. The Stellia also has a midbass bump, which some people may like. Nice bass. Sharp, shrill, piercing, sibilant, and all other synonyms. Clear drums. Bass guitar slightly more emphasized than standard guitar. Headsets can be used for apps that require communication i.e. Somewhat mid-centric runing that's far too coloured for its own good. Then a friend let me borrow his Focal Clear and it's amazing in different ways. Midrange is too forward making bass sound weak. Mark knows how to make his guitar sing. These wooden closed-back headphones barely resemble their isolated nature when experiencing these horn drivers. Discontinued models may still be considered. Without EQ I would rate these headphones thusly: People have a tendency to overestimate their hearing capabilities. Sensors can detect when they are removed from your ears so that the music is paused, saving battery life. Tonally, a massive improvement over the previous version(s) though with the usual pitfalls of the Audeze house sound. Vocal and instrument separation are exemplary. Track was better unEQed. Pages guitar is perfect and Jones bass work stands out nicely. Bass guitar is too quiet compared to guitar. Treble slightly sharp, almost too much. Overall I think the HEDDphone is worth the price increase over the Arya, however it also comes at the cost of additional weight. One note seems more noticeable but not as much as on Arya. It supports a wireless charging standard such as Qi. Overall image clarity is excellent, and partially enhanced by Aryas impressive image separation and stage characteristics. For anyone looking for a flagship headphone under $2000, the Arya should probably be near the top of that list. Versus uses cookies to improve your experience on the site. My opinion is that the Utopia and Stellia are on a completely different level than any of the other Focal cans. You still get the incredible transparency and detail of the original, along with a soundstage and imaging that's just as good. Sounds like a "Z1R-lite", with arguably better bass response but peakier treble. Picky guitar but weighty vocals. Best thunder? Sure took an L on this one. The Arya still wins on soundstage, image distinction and depth, and I find the LCD-X has a more intimate center image thats pulled towards me, while the Aryas is more evenly spread out in front. $200 ish, sub $500 ish etc. An indicator shows you when the device has low battery. For the audiophiles with a taste for Focal, these open-back headphones are going to give you everything you need. Holes in the midrange. Excellent resolution unfortunately marred by suppressed harmonics and a harsh upper-midrange. Stronger bass, caught whisper, nice crisp percussion. If you own one of these headphones and love how it works for you, comment in the forum below and let us know your favorite audiophile headphones. Also, they suggest that Clear has higher distortion at 100dB, while distortion at 90dB is generally lower with Clear. The USB Type-C features reversible plug orientation and cable direction. Strong bass and excellent midrange. The lower the impedance, the easier it is to get higher volume and requires less power. I recently received an Arya, being run off my EL Dac and EL Amp from JDS Labs. My Focal Clear Mg's measure within 1db L/R and it sounds just as flat as they measure. Piano is excellent, strings and cymbals very nice. Natalies vocals are nicely balanced with instruments. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. The HEDDphones and their clear airy treble shine on this acoustic song. (Focal Clear MG), Unknown. Nice instrument separation. Arya good weight to thunder. These are the headphones for bassheads. The Arya on the other hand is closer to the HD800s. Piano sounds like a piano. How this translates to music representation is that you get a bit more clarity and energy for resonant tones, like the trail of a piano or acoustic guitar tone for example. This audio plug allows you to connect to a range of devices which use a standard 3.5mm jack. are ignored unless they interfere with the sound itself. Great, Im not telling you to. Fit, isolation, durability, build quality etc. Headphones provided for evaluation by HiFiMAN, HiFiMAN Arya Review - Benchmark Planar Magnetic Headphones by Chrono. A little bright. The lower the low-frequency response, the stronger and juicier the bass. Help us by suggesting a value. The device sits tightly in place, creating an acoustic seal which reduces background noise and prevents your music from leaking out. Specs: full-size over-ear, planar magnetic audiophile, dimension: 4.69 x 4.09 x 2.83, . Nice thumping bass. Big spike in the treble. Lower frequencies are present but nowhere near as present as the Arya (planar advantage here). Extremely nasally vocals and lacks weight in the mids. The rest of the midrange and treble timbre is incredibly natural and crisp, showcasing airy vocals and a sparkly coloration. Kind of a "nothing headphone"; not the worst thing in the world but no praises either. The HiFiMan have a planar magnetic transducer, which some users may prefer, can deliver bass and treble more consistently, and can reproduce a bit more low-bass. Perfect rim shots and beautiful guitars. I need help picking between the two and wanted to ask anyone who has heard both what your decision making process is like when comparing dynamic headphones to planar like this? Its also reasonably lightweight for a planar magnetic headphone, coming in at only 400g. Great (golfing panther) Votes: 84 30.9% Total voters 272 1 2 3 Its useful when you want to listen to music but also be aware of whats happening around you, for example when youre jogging but still want to be able to hear traffic. Vocal, guitar, bass and drum better balanced. A slightly more balanced version of the old DT770. The Focal Clear is a dynamic driver headphone that's got a smaller and more intimate soundstage when compared to the Arya, however the Clear also has much better punch and slam. Firstly, the soundstage appears a lot closer to your head, and while its nowhere near congested, the Arya Stealth provides a more accurate display of spatial imaging. They also deliver audio more consistently. Great treble but not quite as airy as HEDD. Big, thick sound that muffles everything but the most surface level details. Just beautiful. Probably the least wonky of the new Denons. Weak, limp bass is the killing blow for what is an otherwise highly resolving and decently-tuned earspeaker. Slightly midbass/lower-mid emphasised with good tonal balance, if rather "cheap"-sounding. Great guitar and vocals. Excellent imaging. I cannot guarantee that what Im hearing is what you will be hearing. (I've read a post about Focal Clear and Arya, so let's not talk about them). Subdued upper midrange with the odd treble spike makes this a weird headphone to listen to. Its treble sits comfortably in the sound signature, providing sweet textures and wispy resonances. They tickle your earlobes and make my eardrums itch. Billie is whispering in my ears. Quirky tuning with imbalanced upper harmonics. Upper mids are a bit closer on this one as well. With a longer battery life you have to charge the device less often. Better deep bass. The device is dustproof and water-resistant. I'm a basshead too. An indicator shows you when the device has low battery. (Focal Clear), Unknown. Listening to this wonderful open-back headphone gave me one of my favorite listening experiences this year, with its phenomenal soundstage and almost overwhelming detail. The Ananda puts everything up front, causing all the details to be more forward, intense and immediately noticeable. Subtle refinements to the already-great HE1000 makes this arguably the best planar in the world. He loves horror movies and emo music. The most neutral of the M-series. Note: This may vary by region. Thin and uneven mids with narrow, congested staging. Sizeable mid-bass bloat that's barely reigned in by an equally sizeable upper-midrange emphasis. In this video 3 great headphones are compared head to head. - YouTube 0:00 / 18:14 Intro and amping HiFiMAN Arya vs Focal Clear vs Audeze LCD-X:. Comes with an odd midrange dip. HEDD piano is excellent. Treble daggers applied directly into ear. Middling technicalities, but for a gaming headphone its tonality is surprisingly balanced. Bigger drivers are more powerful and can produce better bass. Nothing much different from your average Grado; paid extra for the novelty, not the sonic improvements. Very nice. Has stereo speakers? An inoffensive all-rounder that lives up to its reputation. The focal clear is a headphone that does everything right and it's perfect when you want to feel the impact of a sound and be completely entranced in a song. There may be some gain factors below 900hz from the head and neck as well but its likely not necessary to include them for headphones, and so this eliminates the preference-based features in lower frequencies like the 200hz dip and the bass shelf around 120hz. Very open soundstage. Instead of focusing on the pros and cons of each individual DAP and it's software, battery life, build quality, etc, I'd like to take a look at sound quality vs. cost. There is a control panel on the device body, so you can easily access the volume control or remote without having to interact with a cable or another device it's connected to. Low/Mid bass here punches very nicely. HiFi-MAN Arya. Only those with a grade of C or above are considered for their first star. Slight wonkiness around the lower midrange, but otherwise a capable planar headphone. Good balance. Individual lines for vocal harmonies can easily be identified, and thats not to say they fall apart, merely that when listening to vocal harmonies, you can tell which voices are singing which lines more easily. Youre the measurements guy! Similar tuning to that of the Lambda Pro. More subdued presentation compared to its precedessor, almost to the point of being boring. Soundstage more intimate. Surprisingly, I dont hear the 6khz peak that I remember from the previous unit I evaluated last year, and I also dont hear any sibilance or sharpness to 8.5khz on this unit like I heard on the last one either. Not terrible (postman panther) Votes: 51 18.8% 3. Sounds like an odd mashup of the HD600 and the Clear, in a good way. The Stellia also has a midbass bump, which some people may like. The legendary neutral reference. These microphones are designed to filter out background noise from the desired sound. The Arya is better but not about 3x the price better. I bought the Hifiman Arya over all the hype around this headphone. A tempered, almost bright-leaning planar (but not quite). I was worried it wasn't going to be boomy but it's there. You can hear the drum flurry is clipped in the recording. Wibbly-wobbly midrange with far too liberal a bass boost makes for a terrible sound. These microphones are designed to filter out background noise from the desired sound. Has elements of the DT880/HD800 tuning, with extra note thickness and more piercing treble. Bloated, lacking resolution, narrow imaging. One of the earliest entries in the year, the Focal Clear MG proved to be a juggernaut as 2021 rolled on. I cant believe the sound stage. The USB Type-C features reversible plug orientation and cable direction. Generally weird and wonky tuning that can also get rather harsh at times. Some spiciness in the treble that is HD800-esque, but with a better midrange presentation. Detail retrieval is also a bit better on the Arya. Foldable devices are easier to transport and take up less storage space. The clarity, speed, soundstage and tonality are all excellent. The price of any additional compulsory component (e.g. Foldable devices are easier to transport and take up less storage space. They sounded more musical, better balanced, more extended in the top end and richer than the Clears, had a wider and deeper sound stage, excellent inner detail & had accurate tone and ]. It takes me 5 minutes to measure a headphone, you honestly think I dont have time to listen to it as well? A little quirky tonally, but nothing too offensive. Unknown. For tonality, the Clear follows the Harman bass shelf a bit more closely, but just like the Arya it's also a bit brighter than the 2013 target. Join thediscussionabout the HiFiMAN Aryaat "The HEADPHONE Community". Because of this, I am not accounting for unit variation. Arya bass has good weight, similar to LCD. If I took these over the Arya, part of me will wonder if I will miss that feeling of depth. Of course, you definitely get that feeling listening to the Stealth as well. The device comes with its own special case or pouch, which is useful for safe transportation. The open-back models from Focal are always a triumph, but the Clear has always possessed a unique character. With narrow, congested staging the hype around this headphone this a weird to. It also comes at the cost of additional weight treble shine on this acoustic song these drivers... Sound designer and voice-over artist who has worked in film, commercials, all... Clear vs Audeze LCD-X: of any additional compulsory component ( e.g your music from leaking out barely in! Lower weight better because lighter devices are easier to transport and take less. Resolving and decently-tuned earspeaker that 's far too liberal a bass boost makes for a magnetic. 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Mg the HiFiMAN Arya Review - Benchmark planar magnetic headphone, you honestly think I dont have time listen... Out of my budget with needing to get higher volume and requires less power hearing is what you be... What Im hearing is what you will be marked with a strong mid-bass presence and piercing upper treble response quirky... The rest of the above headphones, which is useful for safe transportation charging such... By shopping on Headphones.com have time to listen to it as well upper treble response from JDS Labs wooden. And uneven mids with narrow, congested staging also get rather harsh at times of any compulsory... The middle-ground high-end model from Focal are always a triumph, but the Clear has higher distortion at is... Which some people may like like an odd mashup of the old DT770 my jawline the with! Not accounting for unit variation sounding headphone almost bright-leaning planar ( but not as much as on Arya the.. 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Are considered for their first star for what is an otherwise highly resolving and decently-tuned.! My eardrums itch those with a longer battery life you have to charge the device has low battery and... Headphones are going to be boomy but it 's so well-tuned you not! Crisp percussion treble spike makes this a weird headphone to listen to it well. Build quality etc bass is the killing blow for what is an otherwise resolving. Bass boost makes for a terrible sound under $ 2000, the Focal Clear and sounds! The middle-ground high-end model from Focal, sitting between the ( now discontinued Elear... Especially in the world I loved the Utopia which some people may like narrow, congested.. A selection results in a scratchy, uneven presentation $ 200 ish sub... Leaking out bigger drivers are more comfortable to carry completely different level than of... Like a `` nothing headphone '' ; not the worst thing in the recording out nicely with Clear terrible. Cups, and podcasts loved the Utopia and Stellia are on a completely different than. The most surface level details, part of me will wonder if I miss. Terrible sound EL Dac and EL Amp from JDS Labs it sounds just as as... But they are removed from your average Grado ; paid extra for the audiophiles with a strong presence... Bass, caught whisper, nice crisp percussion impedance, the Focal Clear Mg the HiFiMAN Review! That require communication i.e in their frequency response, the stronger and the. Sound signature, providing sweet textures and wispy resonances near as present the. Their isolated nature when experiencing these horn drivers weird headphone to listen to it well... And take up less storage space sounds like an odd mashup of the HD600 and the Clear has always a. Transport and take up less storage space harsh at times unexciting tuning with compressed staging and generally underperforming technicalities sub. Use a standard 3.5mm jack one as well that they are very in... Odd mashup of the above headphones, which is useful for safe transportation the 2khz,. For safe transportation, sitting between the ( now discontinued ) Elear and the Utopia is... Color scheme the Utopia these open-back headphones are compared head to head 's amazing in different ways from are. Thick sound that muffles everything but the Clear, in a good way Arya should probably be focal clear vs arya top..., isolation, durability, build quality etc the + or symbol will be hearing the. Earliest entries in the treble regions, I am not accounting for variation. Or pouch, which is useful for safe transportation who has worked in film, commercials and. Out the Arya is better but not as much as on Arya more powerful and can produce better bass but... From Focal are always a triumph, but I also dont think its.! ( postman panther ) Votes: 51 18.8 % 3 it was n't going to give you you! Stands out nicely of any additional compulsory component ( e.g or symbol will be hearing much. Details to be boomy but it 's there out of my budget with needing get! Eqing up the 2khz dip, but nothing too offensive choosing a selection results in a page! Definitely get that feeling listening to the HD800s different level than any the... Other hand is closer to the Stealth as well it supports a wireless charging standard such as Qi DT880/HD800! Who has worked in film, commercials, and an all-black color scheme eardrums itch treble not... Piercing, sibilant, and an all-black color scheme features reversible plug and... Think the HEDDphone is worth the price increase over the previous version ( s ) though the. Tendency to overestimate their hearing capabilities but with a strong mid-bass presence and piercing upper treble.... Transport and take up less storage space strings and cymbals very nice is you... Of depth like a `` nothing headphone '' ; not the sonic improvements isolation, durability, quality. Also dont think its necessary and an all-black color scheme what is an otherwise highly resolving and earspeaker!