Great video, i recently upgraded to the HEKSE from the Organic myself and i agree with your thoughts and opinions fully, you don’t post much content but everything you do post is very accurate and very much appreciated my friend.
Thank you for your video, I recently buy the arya organic on second hand at half of the price and its good to hear I made the right decision for the price
Awesome time catching up with you at CanJam! Glad to see your review come out. Was wondering what your thoughts were gonna be after seeing your face light up when you put the Hekse’s on LMAO 🤣 Keep doin ya thing cutie 😉
It has been a while. Eventh I’ve stopped chasing dragons but I can relate to your more favorable take on 1Kse. Always liked them but they were overpriced imho. With lowered asking price, it still has a place in today’s world of headphones. 👍🏻✌🏻
Hey buddy I missed your videos, great job thanks for sharing. I also got hekse, could not pass that deal and what you get for your money it's just an awesome headphone. I upgraded my rca and other stuff and you can really hear the difference. Thanks again cheers
Nice video. I remember you did one on the LCD-5. I love that one and now just looking for something with a bit more energy and punch in the low end. Do you think the Calderas would fit that bill? LCD-5 vs Caldera
I have the organic mated to a Chord Hugo TT2, and I have no issues with sibilance or headaches. Huge sound stage and excellent base, but break-in is brutal. Mine took about 200 hrs before i could relax and stop thinking something was broken.
It's amazing how many HP enthusiasts ignore or outright deny the break-in/burn-in phenomenon with HFM headphones. Virtually all of their HPs benefit from an extensive, "active" burn in period. They listen to them fresh out of the box and judge them immediately - often saying that they're "too bright" or have "narrow staging" - without ever giving them time to "bloom". Both my Arya Stealth and my HEK Stealth sound substantially more wide, open, smooth, textured, and tactile after 70 ~ 100 hours of pink noise or my dedicated bass heavy/pink/brown noise burn in playlists compared to their brand-new, uptight, "FOOTB" presentations....
Good to see new content from you! All are good headphones, but a lot depends on amp and DAC pairing. Caldera on a dynamic amp like Bliss or Aegis sounds really spectacular with satisfying note weight and organic, natural timbre. Also, with slamming bass if needed. I prefer Caldera to the more airy and lighter (occasionally diffuse) HiFiMan sound.
I have heard all these headphones but I have not done a proper direct comparison. Of these, I own the HE1000se (not that I use them at all ;) SUBSCRIBED!
Great review. Have you tried the HEk Stealth? I like warm of neutral with enough detail for good image separation and solid, punchy controlled bass. With that, when I direct a/b compared it with the Organic in my home for a few days, I found the HEk Stealth to have exactly what I love, and the Organic had too much energy at the high end. I heard the Esperian at CanJam and loved it and the same with the Caldera, but they are out of my budget, for now. I love my Atrium and really want to get the Caldera. I also heard the Tungsten prototype and would love to try the finished product. (I listened with my most neutral gear, SMSL-SU9/SH9 stack and pad rolling made a decent difference with Dekoni sheepskin perfs) Thanks.
I also have both the Organic and HEk Stealth, and your assessment mirrors mine. The Organics are higher energy and sometimes a bit fatiguing in the treble. The HEk Stealth does seem to have a warmth to it compared to the Organics, and they (the HEk Stealth) are a much smoother listen. I finally tried the Caldera at CanJam Socal, and they are basically perfect for my tastes.
He 1000 se is in my opinion might be the best for beginners who are looking for high end audio,major highlights of it are,its most detailed headphone among all headphones at the same time its incredibly efficient i mean can u imagine a high end full size heaphone working fine with a phone and a normal dac! And using ur phone only u can get more details than any other headphones ,but some people might not like this as detailed headphones always would be bright sounding with elevated treble.but for the current price its insane.in detail retrieval it is the 3 most detailed headphone in world after senheisser he1 and he shangri la.u can point out errors in all sound tracks with this headphone,u can even hear breath pauses in music if u pair it with desktop dac like topping
Owned all of these, now onto the x9000, Susvara, Elites, Atrium, Utopia og and maybe an immanis soon. I would honestly put the the Caldera firmly above the rest of these 3 in the video. The he1000se was too bright, Organic was the best bang for ur buck, Empyreans honestly sounded too smeared with the bass bleeding into the mids. I think once you get into the TOTL's you stop chasing detail and choose what's more musical and enjoyable. I would personally rate these Caldera -> Arya Organic -> he1000se -> Empyrean. Ran all of these off the Holo Red-> May KTE -> Bliss KTE/Carbon/HA3A. I don't EQ at all though so who knows opinions probably change drastically with that.
After countless reviews I've yet to hear the sound stage is grander on the organic vs. the hek. I own the organic and find the bass very pleasing but the sibilance kills me even on an r2r and v281. Also I find the sound stage quite close and not too far off the Arya stealth.
How does the Organic hold up for gaming? I know they are open back, so is there any bleed into your mic? I don’t want my online friends to hear my music or worse themselves.
@@YoZasuke Yes but that means an open box HE1000se will be even cheaper, maybe 1200 or 1100? At that price it wipes the floor with anything else from Hifiman and well worth the extra cost. Edit: I've dmoed the other Aryas [except for the OG] right beside the HE1000se, there is no comparison really now that it is 500 dollars more, totally worth it. The other Aryas have issues, the organic is painfully bright and fatiguing, etc.
@@valentinpetrita9335 The hekse is more detailed... but it's also hotter in the treble to me and fatiguing after a while. The Stealth gives you 90% of the hekse without the hot Treble. At least for me. It's all subjective of course
@@JTB-- Ive read the opposite - the he1000 stealth being brighter and more v shaped vs SE. also, Hifiman has retuned the SE at some point recently, at least according to some user impressions on Head-fi, which has made the treble less fatiguing. "old" SE - super bright, "new" SE - more tonally balanced. Not sure what to believe now lol.
@@Innocence44 Yeah... I've heard the same thing. But for me with my audio gear the SE got fatiguing after a while. I listen to Hard Rock type genres most of the time and the SE is probably geared to easier going music like Jazz and Orchestral/Classical type stuff. The Stealth treble just never bothers me like the SE did. If you are looking for "Detail" than go with the HEKse. The Stealth is a better All Rounder imo and better for longer listening sessions with the more Rocking music genre's. You can't go wrong with either one at their price tag. Makes me wonder if HIFIMAN has newer versions in the works with the current price drops
HE1000 Stealth, only slightly better than Arya Stealth (which are 2 times cheaper), flat and rather dull. Arya Organic much more fun, but requires a more thoughtful pair, with a not bright source. For example R2R DAC like Denafrips Ares and class A amplifier, like Aune S17 pro
the stealth are now almost 2 times cheaper than the organics nowadays so id definitely just get the stealth and eq the bass, pretty hard to beat for like 650 bucks
@@leohanley5935 Organic aren't just Stealth with added bass. They're more engaging overall, with better resolution and dynamics. For me, the price difference is worth it. But overall Arya Stealth is a great headphones for the price. I've had them for quite a while
Based on the pricing of all Hifiman cans, I see no reason to ever buy the Arya Organic if you have over $1000 to spend. The HE1000 Stealth is a clear upgrade to the Arya Organic, but has more emotion in the music, is more resolving, has smoother highs, MUCH better sound separation, and IMO the very best tuning of any headphone on the market, regardless of brand. The HE1000SE has much more detail than the HE1000 Stealth, but the tuning is more flat. That can be good or bad depending on what you want. Note that the HE1000SE takes EQ so incredibly well that you can make it sound like the HE1000 Stealth, but with better resolution and detail. This is why I returned my HE1000 Stealth and kept the HE1000SE after one month of owning them both.
If I already own the HD800S and want to complement it with one of the Hifiman, between the SE and Stealth, which one would you get? And I'm not going to be Equalizing because I use different sources and don't know how nor want to fiddle with that.
Very subjective. Yes the he1000se is the best but that doesn't mean everyone will like it. I had both the he1000se and the arya organic. I sold the he1000se and kept the organic. I like it's presentation much better then the he1000se. I feel like I can actually enjoy the music while on the he1000se I was listening to so much details it takes me away from the music. With the organics it allows me to get lost in the music 😊
I like the wide and dynamic HFM sound but was still wowed by the powerful and impactful presentation of the Tungsten. I actually wanted a Susvara after hearing it on top tier amps at Canjam but can't afford that.
@MidFiGuy - Hate to do this when you've felt that you had "endgame" achieved so many times already, but my Goldenwave Prelude amp arrived yesterday, and it has already made a night and day upgrade to my Susvaras over the Soloist 3X GT or even speaker amps. But THEN, I tried my HE-6 SE v2 (as low as $399 on special sales & $699 or less normally!) on it, and wow, All the energy, slam, and incredible staging you could want, but more focused than Susvara. 80+% of Susvara's technical capability, but more slam & impact, making it better than anything else I've heard for non-orchestral/classical genres. Warning, it also brings outmore of the missing low-end "grunt" to my set of HEDDphones. It's not easy getting 6 watts into 64 ohms, but boy can it make a difference over amps that do 10+ ohms into 8 or 16ohm!
Hi. How does the Prelude sound with the Susvara compared with the Burson? I've been thinking about getting this amp for my Sus but have been worried if it would be overly warm and if the treble would be as crisp as it is on the Burson amps (probably crisper with the V7 op-amps as it sounds a tiny bit distorted with the V6). Many thanks
@@MistaLova-Lova For me, the Prelude bests the Soloist 3X GT. It performs more on the level of the Voyager. As for being warm, I don't find it overly warm. Not "sterile" like my Topping A90, and not "clinical/thin" either. Rather than "warm", I'd characterize the sound as "Full and round". The resolution is there for the asking, but never feels "etched". Elements like decay don't feel like they are presented in an "ON/OFF" state, but still display variation and the transitions of amplitude that are very subtle. If you have a Voyager, I'd not switch. But if you don't have $3,500 US dollars to allocate to your headphone amp, or would rather spend the difference on other gear/interconnects (I'd go for purpose-chosen interconnects personally to keep your audio chain as effective as possible.) I'd happily purchase a Prelude over most else that's currently out there, and certainly over anything around its price point.
Great video, i recently upgraded to the HEKSE from the Organic myself and i agree with your thoughts and opinions fully, you don’t post much content but everything you do post is very accurate and very much appreciated my friend.
Great review. Detailed enough, yet straight to the point! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about amplifiers...
He1000se best bang for buck in the game hands down 🔥✊
Have you heard of the Sennheiser HE1?
I own an HE1
000se
The Arya Organic is my favorite non-estat. I usually listen on my Stax X9000 or Audeze CRBN
Thank you for your video, I recently buy the arya organic on second hand at half of the price and its good to hear I made the right decision for the price
Awesome time catching up with you at CanJam! Glad to see your review come out. Was wondering what your thoughts were gonna be after seeing your face light up when you put the Hekse’s on LMAO 🤣 Keep doin ya thing cutie 😉
Everyone should own a Hifiman, essential phones imo. That's a lot of amps.
Great video! Love my HE-1000se on Mjolnir 3 amp
It has been a while. Eventh I’ve stopped chasing dragons but I can relate to your more favorable take on 1Kse. Always liked them but they were overpriced imho. With lowered asking price, it still has a place in today’s world of headphones. 👍🏻✌🏻
Hey buddy I missed your videos, great job thanks for sharing.
I also got hekse, could not pass that deal and what you get for your money it's just an awesome headphone. I upgraded my rca and other stuff and you can really hear the difference. Thanks again cheers
Thank you! The Hekse is one of the best deals around for high end gear, I'm surprised they're keeping it at this low price consistently.
Nice video. I remember you did one on the LCD-5. I love that one and now just looking for something with a bit more energy and punch in the low end. Do you think the Calderas would fit that bill? LCD-5 vs Caldera
I have the organic mated to a Chord Hugo TT2, and I have no issues with sibilance or headaches. Huge sound stage and excellent base, but break-in is brutal. Mine took about 200 hrs before i could relax and stop thinking something was broken.
It's amazing how many HP enthusiasts ignore or outright deny the break-in/burn-in phenomenon with HFM headphones. Virtually all of their HPs benefit from an extensive, "active" burn in period. They listen to them fresh out of the box and judge them immediately - often saying that they're "too bright" or have "narrow staging" - without ever giving them time to "bloom". Both my Arya Stealth and my HEK Stealth sound substantially more wide, open, smooth, textured, and tactile after 70 ~ 100 hours of pink noise or my dedicated bass heavy/pink/brown noise burn in playlists compared to their brand-new, uptight, "FOOTB" presentations....
Did you try the Arya Organic on the Nitsch Piety? On mine, I find the synergy is surprisingly good.
Great video, keep em coming!!
Good to see new content from you!
All are good headphones, but a lot depends on amp and DAC pairing. Caldera on a dynamic amp like Bliss or Aegis sounds really spectacular with satisfying note weight and organic, natural timbre. Also, with slamming bass if needed. I prefer Caldera to the more airy and lighter (occasionally diffuse) HiFiMan sound.
I have heard all these headphones but I have not done a proper direct comparison.
Of these, I own the HE1000se (not that I use them at all ;)
SUBSCRIBED!
Any update on a new amp video? I’m really curious to hear about the pass labs hpa-1
🩺Wave Theory listening with his full attention to the ZMF Caldera 🩺
Great review. Have you tried the HEk Stealth? I like warm of neutral with enough detail for good image separation and solid, punchy controlled bass. With that, when I direct a/b compared it with the Organic in my home for a few days, I found the HEk Stealth to have exactly what I love, and the Organic had too much energy at the high end. I heard the Esperian at CanJam and loved it and the same with the Caldera, but they are out of my budget, for now. I love my Atrium and really want to get the Caldera. I also heard the Tungsten prototype and would love to try the finished product. (I listened with my most neutral gear, SMSL-SU9/SH9 stack and pad rolling made a decent difference with Dekoni sheepskin perfs) Thanks.
I also have both the Organic and HEk Stealth, and your assessment mirrors mine. The Organics are higher energy and sometimes a bit fatiguing in the treble. The HEk Stealth does seem to have a warmth to it compared to the Organics, and they (the HEk Stealth) are a much smoother listen. I finally tried the Caldera at CanJam Socal, and they are basically perfect for my tastes.
Nice overview ! How's the Artemis compared to your other amps ?
Have you tried COMPLETELY cutting the subbass region on the Arya? It fixed the headaches for me, with almost zero audible difference
What you used for the recording? I mean the video
He 1000 se is in my opinion might be the best for beginners who are looking for high end audio,major highlights of it are,its most detailed headphone among all headphones at the same time its incredibly efficient i mean can u imagine a high end full size heaphone working fine with a phone and a normal dac! And using ur phone only u can get more details than any other headphones ,but some people might not like this as detailed headphones always would be bright sounding with elevated treble.but for the current price its insane.in detail retrieval it is the 3 most detailed headphone in world after senheisser he1 and he shangri la.u can point out errors in all sound tracks with this headphone,u can even hear breath pauses in music if u pair it with desktop dac like topping
Owned all of these, now onto the x9000, Susvara, Elites, Atrium, Utopia og and maybe an immanis soon. I would honestly put the the Caldera firmly above the rest of these 3 in the video. The he1000se was too bright, Organic was the best bang for ur buck, Empyreans honestly sounded too smeared with the bass bleeding into the mids. I think once you get into the TOTL's you stop chasing detail and choose what's more musical and enjoyable. I would personally rate these Caldera -> Arya Organic -> he1000se -> Empyrean. Ran all of these off the Holo Red-> May KTE -> Bliss KTE/Carbon/HA3A. I don't EQ at all though so who knows opinions probably change drastically with that.
How does the Atrium stack up vs the rest?
Great review! Did you ever try any of them with the HA-6A?
After countless reviews I've yet to hear the sound stage is grander on the organic vs. the hek. I own the organic and find the bass very pleasing but the sibilance kills me even on an r2r and v281. Also I find the sound stage quite close and not too far off the Arya stealth.
How does the Organic hold up for gaming? I know they are open back, so is there any bleed into your mic? I don’t want my online friends to hear my music or worse themselves.
Hi i getting really bad sound when i am using Arya organics with piano repertoire. I Want to ask if the same thing is happening to you
I have different questions:
1. What desk is it?
2. Depth of the desk?
Thanks
I've worked on three standing desks and this is by far my favorite one (63x32). amzn.to/3XebBza
@MidFiGuy than you sir. I'm moving to new place soon so looking for some "inspirations". Even though I'm from Europe, I appreciate the answer.
Please please please review that v222. Im literally in the process of buying it for the organics. Does the v222 pair well with the organics?
I got the HE1000se for 1699$ is the latest sale, at that price the entire Arya line is basically obsolete.
I don't know where you live but in my country the price of the Arya line (except organic) went down to around 650€ for an open box unit
@@YoZasuke Yes but that means an open box HE1000se will be even cheaper, maybe 1200 or 1100? At that price it wipes the floor with anything else from Hifiman and well worth the extra cost. Edit: I've dmoed the other Aryas [except for the OG] right beside the HE1000se, there is no comparison really now that it is 500 dollars more, totally worth it. The other Aryas have issues, the organic is painfully bright and fatiguing, etc.
Have you heard of the Sennheiser HE1?
I own an HE1
000se 😂
@@chungang7037, I paid the equivalent of USD$1,450 for a brand new pair of HEKSE.
Andy yes, the Organic is a tad too bright for my tastes.
@@ReverendDr.ThomasGood luck using them in the park 😂
Arya Organic and the HEKse were a little too hot in the treble for me. I prefer the HE1000 Stealth (V4) over them
How does the sound of V4 compares to hekse ?
@@valentinpetrita9335 The hekse is more detailed... but it's also hotter in the treble to me and fatiguing after a while. The Stealth gives you 90% of the hekse without the hot Treble. At least for me. It's all subjective of course
@@JTB-- Ive read the opposite - the he1000 stealth being brighter and more v shaped vs SE. also, Hifiman has retuned the SE at some point recently, at least according to some user impressions on Head-fi, which has made the treble less fatiguing. "old" SE - super bright, "new" SE - more tonally balanced. Not sure what to believe now lol.
@@Innocence44 Yeah... I've heard the same thing. But for me with my audio gear the SE got fatiguing after a while. I listen to Hard Rock type genres most of the time and the SE is probably geared to easier going music like Jazz and Orchestral/Classical type stuff. The Stealth treble just never bothers me like the SE did. If you are looking for "Detail" than go with the HEKse. The Stealth is a better All Rounder imo and better for longer listening sessions with the more Rocking music genre's. You can't go wrong with either one at their price tag. Makes me wonder if HIFIMAN has newer versions in the works with the current price drops
What about rock and heavy metal, can i listen to this on the HEKSE without having to get a new pair of ears afterwards? Thanks in advance.✌🏻
your ears ain't ready just yet, you prolly need new ears for all that HEKSE goodness
hello, is the hpa-1 the best amp for the arya organic or violectric?
nice new video!
Thumbnail has the names on the wrong units? 😅
What does "imaging" mean?
Have you heard the he1000 stealth? How similar to the 1000SE ? 👀
HE1000 Stealth, only slightly better than Arya Stealth (which are 2 times cheaper), flat and rather dull. Arya Organic much more fun, but requires a more thoughtful pair, with a not bright source. For example R2R DAC like Denafrips Ares and class A amplifier, like Aune S17 pro
Thanks for your input here. I have heard pros & cons of the HEK stealth, with many still preferring the V2.
@@MidFiGuy Thanks for the video, great job
the stealth are now almost 2 times cheaper than the organics nowadays so id definitely just get the stealth and eq the bass, pretty hard to beat for like 650 bucks
@@leohanley5935 Organic aren't just Stealth with added bass. They're more engaging overall, with better resolution and dynamics. For me, the price difference is worth it. But overall Arya Stealth is a great headphones for the price. I've had them for quite a while
Looks like your setup is not that much changed from the comparison of amps.
Still waiting patiently for Headamp's CFA3.
Based on the pricing of all Hifiman cans, I see no reason to ever buy the Arya Organic if you have over $1000 to spend. The HE1000 Stealth is a clear upgrade to the Arya Organic, but has more emotion in the music, is more resolving, has smoother highs, MUCH better sound separation, and IMO the very best tuning of any headphone on the market, regardless of brand. The HE1000SE has much more detail than the HE1000 Stealth, but the tuning is more flat. That can be good or bad depending on what you want. Note that the HE1000SE takes EQ so incredibly well that you can make it sound like the HE1000 Stealth, but with better resolution and detail. This is why I returned my HE1000 Stealth and kept the HE1000SE after one month of owning them both.
If I already own the HD800S and want to complement it with one of the Hifiman, between the SE and Stealth, which one would you get? And I'm not going to be Equalizing because I use different sources and don't know how nor want to fiddle with that.
@@residentzero SE
@@NRobbi42 I ended up purchasing an Edition XS to try the Hifiman planars. The price is great. I've read it compares with higher end Hifiman too
@@residentzero Not bad for the price, but the higher end Hifimans are definitely on another level
Very subjective. Yes the he1000se is the best but that doesn't mean everyone will like it. I had both the he1000se and the arya organic. I sold the he1000se and kept the organic. I like it's presentation much better then the he1000se. I feel like I can actually enjoy the music while on the he1000se I was listening to so much details it takes me away from the music. With the organics it allows me to get lost in the music 😊
serious headphones
Seems like you just need to get a Susvara and call it a day😂
I think $900-1500 is what most people can budget for. $2500-3500 is just out of most people's budget savings.
I'm in the hype train for modhouse tungsten double sided, the only doubt is if I should get the hekse, even more now that is priced $1699
I like the wide and dynamic HFM sound but was still wowed by the powerful and impactful presentation of the Tungsten. I actually wanted a Susvara after hearing it on top tier amps at Canjam but can't afford that.
@MidFiGuy - Hate to do this when you've felt that you had "endgame" achieved so many times already, but my Goldenwave Prelude amp arrived yesterday, and it has already made a night and day upgrade to my Susvaras over the Soloist 3X GT or even speaker amps. But THEN, I tried my HE-6 SE v2 (as low as $399 on special sales & $699 or less normally!) on it, and wow, All the energy, slam, and incredible staging you could want, but more focused than Susvara. 80+% of Susvara's technical capability, but more slam & impact, making it better than anything else I've heard for non-orchestral/classical genres. Warning, it also brings outmore of the missing low-end "grunt" to my set of HEDDphones. It's not easy getting 6 watts into 64 ohms, but boy can it make a difference over amps that do 10+ ohms into 8 or 16ohm!
Hi. How does the Prelude sound with the Susvara compared with the Burson? I've been thinking about getting this amp for my Sus but have been worried if it would be overly warm and if the treble would be as crisp as it is on the Burson amps (probably crisper with the V7 op-amps as it sounds a tiny bit distorted with the V6). Many thanks
@@MistaLova-Lova For me, the Prelude bests the Soloist 3X GT. It performs more on the level of the Voyager. As for being warm, I don't find it overly warm. Not "sterile" like my Topping A90, and not "clinical/thin" either. Rather than "warm", I'd characterize the sound as "Full and round". The resolution is there for the asking, but never feels "etched". Elements like decay don't feel like they are presented in an "ON/OFF" state, but still display variation and the transitions of amplitude that are very subtle. If you have a Voyager, I'd not switch. But if you don't have $3,500 US dollars to allocate to your headphone amp, or would rather spend the difference on other gear/interconnects (I'd go for purpose-chosen interconnects personally to keep your audio chain as effective as possible.) I'd happily purchase a Prelude over most else that's currently out there, and certainly over anything around its price point.
Mid fi...huh? Nice review.
Good thumbnail bait
Hopefully the economy will return to the Trump years so I can upgrade headphones. Until then, groceries are more important. Great review!!👍