Hifiman Arya Organic Review

Build Quality & Connection

The build quality of my unit is perfect, and I have had no issues with it. The headband is sturdy and the 3.5mm connectors at the bottom of the cups will probably last decades. The earpads are also perfectly finished and there’s no difference in the shape, thickness, or stitching anywhere. Even the cable is very sturdy (maybe a bit too much, but in the end after a bit of usage, you kind of forget about it).

I really can’t say anything bad about the build quality of my unit, Hifiman has seriously upped its BQ and QC over the last years. For the price the unit is going for, you expect it to be perfect and in my case, this certainly is so.

Specs, Price & Accessories

As said, the Arya Organic, with its $1,299 price is in the higher part of Mid-Fi or the lower part of High-Fi. It’s not a cheap headphone by any means, but I have to say it delivers in design, comfort as well as sound.

There aren’t that many specs available, but this is what we know:

Impedance:                       16Ω

Sensitivity:                        94dB

Frequency Response:     8Hz-65kHz

Weight:                              440g

The Arya Stealth comes in a very simple box. As we have seen before, the box also is a storage case. The Arya Organic doesn’t come with another carrying case, but then again, it’s not a portable headphone.

On the inside of the box you will find:

• 1 Arya Organic headphone
• 1 headphone cable (6.35mm termination)
• 1 owner’s guide
• 1 Warranty card
• 1 Stealth Magnet technology leaflet

Sound Quality

Hifiman headphones in general sound very good, resolving and they’re technically strong. Let’s see if the new Arya Organic performs just as well.  The tuning of the Arya Organic to me is more to the smooth side,  with a musical and warm delivery. This one has an impactful bass, more so than the Arya SE, and more musicality.

The key characteristics of the Arya Stealth are retained here; which are control, speed, body, energy, and dynamics. There’s still very good PRaT and control. It’s a nicely balanced sound with good refinement, a good amount of body, and good definition from lows to highs.

Bass

The biggest difference when you go to the Organic from the Stealth is the bass response. The bass of the Organic has much more impact and rumble. It has more definition on the sub-bass in particular when I compare it to the SE. The bass of the Organic feels more atmospheric, impactful, and warm. 

To me, the Arya SE has a reference bass tuning, with a good enough body when combined with a good desktop system. However, Arya Organic puts more to the table here, with a more definitive and focused bass, which forms the fundamentals for its different, warmer tuning. With the Organic version, you simply feel more air pushed to your ears because of the bass impact.

When I think about the Arya Organic as a standalone model, I’d say it has the classic qualities of the planar bass character. Good speed, impact, and rumble altogether. However, don’t expect it to be a bass monster, like some dynamic headphones. In short, it’s not a Sony MDR-Z1R, at all. Yet, it’s more enjoyable and to me a better all-rounder than the Arya SE. 

Mids

The mids of the Arya Organic are very transparent, resolving, and crisp. It has the required technical performance here for its price range. In addition to that, there’s a good timbre here, which is quite musical but still well-presented in terms of overall resolution. The tonal balance is quite good, and the full-bodied instrument presence here is surely welcoming.

The upper mid-range sounds a bit forward, whilst the lower mid-range is a bit pushed back. So I’d say the mid-range of the Organic is colored when compared to reference headphones, or even to the Arya SE. The whole mid-area has a very lifelike feeling, but it’s a bit overshadowed by the impactful bass against the Arya SE.

I overall liked this colorful and lively mid-range of the Arya Organic, and I think it’s a nice alternative to the drier mids of the SE version. It puts more energy and musicality to the table. Other than that, as I mentioned, the technical performance here is very good and it’s classic Arya in that regard.

Treble

The treble section of the Arya Organic is interesting. By default, you expect it to be smoother and less aggressive vs. the SE variant. However, I found the lower treble section a bit on the front, probably a continuation through the upper mid-range coloration, which is also accentuated. This section was even more forward before burn-in, so I suggest burning the Arya Organic for quite some time.

The treble of this Organic model has good fun, clarity, and sparkle. There’s a great micro-detail delivery and separation in this section, with excellent transparency and resolution. It surely is a competitive treble performance in this price range. 

I didn’t find the Arya Organic’s treble very very smooth, but it’s not overly aggressive or harsh either. However, I expected a smoother presentation here, which is not the case. So I think this is the least different area of the Organic against the SE. They perform similarly, the only difference is that the Organic has a bit more accentuated lower treble, whilst the SE is more linear.

Technical Performance

Soundstage wise the Arya Organic is quite good in both wide and depth, but since the presentation is bolder and warmer, it feels a bit more intimate. The music is closer to your ears, with more bass presence and upper mid-range coloration, combined with the lower treble energy. The texture and layering are great, and there’s good enough spaciousness and air despite the warm presentation in the bass. There’s a good level of separation as well.

The best part about the Arya Organic, as well as all the Arya models released so far, is the resolution. The focus, the transparency, and the speed are all very impressive. The level of detail is another strong point of the headphone, with excellent detail retrieval. You hear small nuances very easily in a recording.

The instrumental separation is very good and you have great positioning which I found very correct and realistic. I just wanted a little bigger sound stage with this headphone but I think that’s also one of its characteristic features. Because I don’t think the mids and the vocals, in particular, would’ve been that impressive and lively with a distant approach. 

With the texture in the mids and bass, together with good timbre and musical delivery, the Arya Organic has a good overall technical performance. I mostly liked its speed and PRaT, despite having a heavier and more textured, impactful bass. Despite the tuning difference, it has the classic Arya qualities in terms of speed, definition, focus, and separation.

In terms of sensitivity, Hifiman made the Organic variant more sensitive, so you need less power compared to the Arya SE. However, you still need good power to make it shine. So even though it sounds quite OK directly from a DAP, such as HIBY RS8 or iBasso DX320, I’d still recommend a full desktop setup to fully enjoy the Arya Organic.

Page 1: Hifiman, Arya Stealth, Driver & Stealth Technology, Comfort & Design

Page 3: Comparisons & Conclusion

4.1/5 - (157 votes)

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