HiFiMAN Arya Organic Review

Over the past few years, HiFiMAN has been releasing revised versions of its popular Arya headphones. Right now, there are three versions of the Arya out there, and a new one has just launched as well. The Arya Organic looks to be the biggest update they’ve made to the Arya yet, but does it still contain everything people love about the original?

What You Get

• Arya Organic Headphones
• Quarter-inch headphone cable
• User guide
• Warranty info

Look & Feel

The main structure of the Arya remains intact, but this is its biggest change in appearance so far. If you put every version of the Arya next to each other, you can instantly pick out the Organic version from the pack. That’s all due to the Organic’s cup outlining, which sports more of a wood finish. There also seems to be the slightest improvement in the materials used with each new iteration. The Organic uses a metal frame, which gives the headphones a durable foundation. With all of these new parts, you can still expect the same level of comfort as the other Arya headphones. You still have that huge circumaural shape with that suspension headband that makes the headphones super lightweight.

Design

HiFiMAN introduced stealth magnets with the Arya series, and they make a welcome return here as well. You can expect the same planar design with almost zero interference and distortion. Its output always seems pure and untampered with no matter what you’re running them through. Speaking of that, the Organic is super easy to drive for a set of planar open-back headphones, so you should have no problem powering them with any device.

Soundstage

With each new edition of the Arya, I feel like the sound is gradually getting closer to me. Ever since HiFiMAN started implementing stealth magnets, their soundstages have become more intimate and less airy. The Organic is the biggest example of that yet, as the headspace of the Arya has noticeably shrunk compared to the V3. However, that doesn’t cause any major gripes with the soundstage as a whole.

It’s still a very spacious sound, with floaty imaging and great separation. There is a lot of air showcased in between each individual element, which helps bring out the layers into a more dimensional headspace. The wrap-around goes beyond stereo limits, but the imaging is just brought into a tighter space than in past iterations. However, the width still establishes a great scope, helped by the height of the imaging. Everything about it is still distinctly within HiFiMAN’s usual presentation, just with a few tweaks that bring in subtle changes.

Low End

I’ve never considered the Arya to be the bassist of the high-end planar headphones, but it was always clean and elegant. The response of the Organic spends a lot more time delving into these frequencies, offering a more solidified bass tone. There’s more shake and vibration to the lows, resulting in better sub-bass, and more of a theatrical impact. It really matches the scale of sound signature that the Arya has always featured. While the timbre is darkened quite a bit, the clarity is unchanged. You still get clean bass elements from the low frequencies, their resonance is just more pronounced. The Arya Organic also arrives at this timbre with the exact same velocity and precision as many other areas of the sound signature.

Mids

The midrange has always been nice with the Arya. They’re always very roomy and accurate, with natural propagation and extension. A good reference for most genres. With the Organic, texture comes more into play, with instruments being given greater accentuation. You can feel a strike of each note hit a lot harder, with the same amount of articulation the other versions of the Arya have provided in the past. It seems like an even thinner veil has been uncovered, which gives the Organic an even crisper edge to its sound. Everything has plenty of room to express its tone, making for some colorful performances. Vocals are pushed forward and almost appear directly in front of you. They have exceptional clarity and cut through busy arrangments particularly well.

Highs

While the highs on the Arya Organic aren’t always the easiest to consume, it still features some incredible detail. You don’t have to worry about harshness at all, but the frequencies definitely have a more dramatic spike to them. I think the extension here is just as dignified as past versions, but the Organic feels less wispy and delicate and more glistening. It does this without adding any artificiality to the treble too. Everything appears very natural, with excellent height and pure detail to be easily enticed by.

Summary

Mostly everything you love about the HiFiMAN Arya is still intact with the Organic. However, there are certain tweaks offered here that make things fresh, such as elements of the sound profile and build. The Arya Organic seems to cater to bass heads more than the previous iteration, but that doesn’t take anything else away from the Arya’s established sound. I think that will be its selling point both for those who haven’t tried the Arya yet or are looking to upgrade to something similar.

The HiFiMAN Arya Organic is available at Audio46.