I picked up a pair of these while in Germany recently, and when I returned home I auditioned them against the Arya Stealths, HE1000V2, HE1000se, and Susvaras. The Susvaras are a prime example of “bass light”, and since I am in the market for a rock and roll headphone, they were the easiest choice to send back.
Of the remainder, all had remarkable bass response, accuracy and punch, but the HE1000se was a little more prominent in the mid bass, giving them added warmth and fullness but a bit less slam. They also had a slightly (just slightly) less expansive soundstage than the other three, and some excess brightness that I found fatiguing after awhile.
The V2s sounded phenomenal—very wide soundstage, very smooth highs, and more sub bass compared to the se. But of the four the V2s don’t have the Stealth magnet, and they were audibly less detailed to my ears—not as fun or exciting either.
Narrowing down to the Arya SE and Edition XS, honestly they were extremely similar from a sound perspective, and I think they are both phenomenal. They both have plenty of bass, sub and mid, they both have the extraordinary comfort and fit of the oval pads. They also both share the stealth magnet, and they’re equally suitable to long listening sessions.
Their primary differences between them are in build. Although not as dazzling-looking as the HEK versions, which have an aluminum frame, innumerable swivel configurations, quality leather headbands and straps that alleviate the weight, and true metal grilles, the Arya SE is still very high quality and modern, and supremely comfortable.
Alternatively, the Edition XS, which I’d perhaps call a “bare bones” version of the Arya, has plastic instead of carbon fiber, a serviceable headband, metallic plastic for grilles, and no swivel options. But I don’t find them at all anemic in the bass as you suggest, and I think they’re the finest all-rounder for both critical listening and fun for under $500.
I ended up keeping the Edition XS for travel, the Arya Stealth for my workhorse option (I can’t stop listening to it), and the HEKse, because that brightness turned out to reveal an incomprehensible level of detail, and when it’s tamed with a bit of PEQ, they’re the most astonishing, thrilling and beautiful-sounding headphones I’ve ever heard.