Now that I've spent about thirty hours with the Arya Stealth, I'd like to give an interim summary.
As already mentioned, I've owned almost all TOTL headphones in the last few years. Without a doubt, there are a lot of very very good headphones on the market.
Instead of listing countless models and describing their strengths and weaknesses, I'll focus on the most important thing at this moment:
the Arya Stealth.
To anticipate one thing:
the Arya Stealth is the best all-rounder I've had in my hands!
The start was bumpy.
I started this encounter with an A/B comparison to the HE6SE V2.
The HE6SE emerged as the winner.
Therefore I had almost given up on the Arya. However, this one didn't let me go.
Fortunately.
I quickly realized that my EQ setting
(I always work according to Oratory's settings, as a starting point), was not yet optimal.
And what is at least as important,
at least my brain needed a certain time,
in order to be able to grasp at all correctly, what is going on with the Stealth.
If you take both points into account,
the tide turns in favor of the Arya.
The Musical Adventure Arya Stealth.
A few days ago I listened to one of my favorite albums:
Move D - Building Bridges
That day I started to understand the Arya Stealth. The experience was terrific.
The Stealth is something very special.
Its entire presentation of the music is unique.
You have the impression of standing in front of damn huge speakers.
The presentation is not "only" 3D, it is huge!
Really huge!
Not in the sense of a big soundstage.
It is different. It is more. It's bigger.
Especially the bass is overwhelming,
in a positive sense.
Another special feature of this headphone is its unique ability to play between almost infinite resolution, and complete unobtrusiveness.
It sounds like the contradiction par excellence. Yes. But the Arya Stealth delivers just that! Unlike other headphones, e.g. LCD-5,
you never have the impression of being overwhelmed / "flooded" with details.
Especially these two points, make the Aray Stealth for me.
Considering now the first-class wearing comfort, and the street price of about 1300 €, you can not make a better purchase!
Great news.
Oratorys settings for the Stealth are online
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4i1a1sahenngrrg/Hifiman Arya Stealth.pdf?dl=0
It is nice to see that with the Stealth, this downhill and uphill in the midrange is no longer present.