Comparisons
Well, the obvious comparison, which I believe many people are interested in. For no-sound topics, these two are identical in design, build, and comfort. The Organic variant has a wooden trim, which gives it a more luxurious touch, but that’s it.
For sound, the Arya Stealth sounds linear, faster, and more reference-like. The biggest difference is the bass response, whereas the Arya Organic sounds much more intimate, and fuller. There’s more kick, rumble, and impact here. There’s more air in the bass region. I find the Arya SE’s bass more realistic and neutral, which is perfectly fine with many genres in my opinion. But I know many people find the bass of the SE too neutral, so the Organic is your answer for that.
The mid-range is more colored with the Organic version, with a more definitive upper mid-range in particular. Like what happens in the bass section, the Arya firmly holds up its linear approach, with a balanced and flat tuning. Against that approach, you have a fuller and more texture mid-range of the Organic. I don’t think the SE lacks any fullness in the mid-range, but if you seek more and find the Arya SE a bit boring, you can go with the Organic.
Treble-wise I think the SE version is better balanced since the lower treble of the Organic is a bit more energetic than what I initially expected. For the soundstage, the Arya SE sounds wider and better layered. It retains its linear and well-laid-out approach. So that character is beneficial to the SE in terms of layering and staging. There’s not much difference in terms of imaging and separation though.
Overall, I still think the SE is the better headphone, with better coherency, linearity, and layering. However, that doesn’t mean that you’ll like it more than the Organic. The newer version is easily more enjoyable, but when I go back and forth and back and forth between these two, I’d say the SE has better technical performance overall.
The HD800 S is one of the all-time best headphones in my opinion. Its presentation, in terms of packaging, is more premium than the Hifiman offerings. Sure, it costs more so that’s not unexpected. It also has a more impressive design to me, but the Arya Organic still impresses with its full black and dark wood combination.
The HD800 S is lighter in comparison, so it’s a bit more comfortable but there’s not a huge difference here. For a planar headphone, the Arya Organic is quite comfortable nevertheless.
In the sound department, HD800 S sounds wider and deeper, unsurprisingly. It’s a laid-back headphone though, even when compared to the Arya SE, let alone the Arya Organic. So the Arya Organic sounds much more intense and intimate, with more emotion and captivating nature. The HD800 S is like a concert hall, versus the studio environment of the Arya Organic.
These two are very different headphones, but in terms of bass and overall presence, the Arya Organic is very impressive. The HD800 S has great layering, soundstage, and spaciousness. It’s a matter of taste but I think if we compare straight technicalities, the HD800 S to me wins.
Conclusion
Hifiman took their highly regarded Arya SE and gave it some juice for bass, and more color in mids & treble. The result is a very enjoyable, easily likable headphone after the Arya SE, without losing any technical performance. Maybe except for the PRaT and soundstage, you give away pretty much nothing and gain a warmer, fuller, and more musical presentation.
If you find the Arya SE too flat, linear -or ”boring” if you will-, the Hifiman Arya Organic perfectly gives what a ”Musical Arya SE” would give. It’s simply more exciting, engaging, and intimate. If you like the Arya SE but wanted more bass and warmth, then you’ve found your headphone.
As a last conclusion, the Arya SE is the more balanced and technically correct sounding headphone in my opinion, but the Arya Organic gives warm sound lovers a choice to have both the technical performance of the Arya line and the musical delivery together.
Page 1: Hifiman, Arya Stealth, Driver & Stealth Technology, Comfort & Design
Page 2: Build Quality & Connection, Specifications & Price & Accessories, Sound
Justin Kuhn
Hello Berkhan,
I’m not the only one wondering about one more comparison: Arya Organic vs HE1000 Stealth
They are $100 apart, and many are making this tough decision too!
Thank you for any thoughts
Bansaku
After reading both this review and the HE1000 Stealth, how does the Arya Organic hold up?
Jeffrey Teeling
I have the KA3, and I absolutely love it!
I am certain I would love even more the KA5. Just better all-around, with a really cool looking display. I will be jealous of whoever wins this fabulous DAC.
Arkz.
Hi, same here, l recently purchased the HE1000 Stealth Edition and like to know how this fairs against Arya Organic in terms of treble bright/peakiness.
Lieven
Unfortunately these headphones are on different continents
Pawan
Hi, which would be a good compliment for Utopia/HD660s between Arya SE and Arya Organic. Thank you for your reply in advance.
Lieven
Both!
Sonnenwender
I read several reviews that compared the Arya Organic to the Ayra Stealth Magnet. Most overly praised the Organic and saw it as an improvement over the Stealth. Only Berkhan concluded in this review that the Stealth was ultimately the more neutral and therefor better headphone. I had the chance while on vacation in Tokyo to extensivly compare both headphones at e-earphones, the biggest headphone store in Japan. And I completly concur with Berkhan. While I didn‘t note the slight treble hotness of the Organic in quite the same way I mostly take issue with the bass emphasis of the Organic. Imo it leads to a congestion of sound in the upper bass and sounds forced to my ears and decidedly not neutral. In my case it also creates a pressure that I find annoying and headache inducing during longer listening sessions (I might be a tad sensitive in that regard). I definetly prefer the more relaxed listening experience of the Stealth.