The_D0lph1n t1_ja1kgo0 wrote on February 26, 2023 at 3:46 AM

I've demoed both the Arya Stealth and the HEKv2, and while I only had a few minutes with each, I definitely agree that the HE-1000 is a step above the Arya. There was something harsh in the Arya's upper midrange and treble that made some voices sound "scratchy". The HE1000 did not have that issue and was a more refined and smoother presentation all around. I wasn't able to listen long enough to evaluate stuff like soundstage or detail presentation, but I noticed the difference how smoothly the HE1000 rendered vocals. Either one is endgame-worthy, but the HEK is still better by some margin.

Back when the Arya was $1600 and the HEKv2 was $3000, the Arya was definitely the price-optimized choice, but with the Arya now at $1300 and the HEKv2 at $2000, the latter is a more viable option.

Exciting-Mine-4300 OP t1_ja1l3a5 wrote on February 26, 2023 at 3:52 AM

Oh yeah you are right about the upper midrange, the HE1000 doesn't have that issue at all, it is a smoother sounding headphone. Like you said, now that the difference is $700 I would say the HE1000 is the better buy and even better value than the Arya.