Thanks for the advice. Definitely going to give the xelastics a try

For me, they have the slightest amount of bass reduction and a small attenuation of the treble compared to the u12t stock tips. That's a sonic improvement to my ears though, coming from the Hifi arya's spacious sound.

Definitely pricey for what they are. Though, we are in one of many money pit hobbies and it's all relative. Spending $50 on a pair of IEMs and $30 tips seems a bit silly. But if you are spending $1000s on iems and amplification $30 seem like a no brainier.

Good looking out. Got me an arya for a deep deep discount. Already shipped this morning

Solid advice, thanks!

Thanks for this detailed writeup! Did all the legwork for me! I'll definitely be picking up a pair to try myself in the near future, even if I do end up with an Arya as well.

Thanks for this. I'll take a look

Hey, question for you. How do the sound qualities of the arya v3 and the noire line up in your opinion?

Which ones should I look into? trying to keep it around $1200 or lower and don't know a whole lot about them.

I will definitely take a look. Thanks! I am a bit confused by the he lineup altogether and how it fits in with the sundara/ananda/arya lineup. Looks like I need to do some more reading.

Ear sizzling is the best way I can describe the 1990s. The 770s had a bit of sibilance too but acceptable for me. When I owned the 1990s(about a year and a couple months ago) I wasnt very knowledgeable about EQ yet. If I owned them today, I'd definitely give it a shot because they were great otherwise. They were very heavy too which I didn't think I'd ever care about but was pretty noticable. I just feel like I get 80% of the sound with the 770s and have found signatures I like better at this point.

They roll off harder than the 560s I owned and measure even hotter in the mids. They may be good headphones but definitely not for me.

Interesting. I might see if I can source some filters before boxing them up and sending them back. Thanks!

Thank ya thank ya

Older half of 20s but my ears are still really sharp. (I still pass the young person can hear the high pitch buzz noise test lol)

TL/DR: They are way too mid shouty for me, even more so than some Sennheiser's I've tried.

Auditioned on a Topping E50 and A90D.

Hopefully this can save some folks some money if they are looking at these and have similar preferences to me.

First the positives: the dynamics and resolution are amazing. Best so far from what I've tried. You can hear everything. They are very comfortable and look like a piece of art in real life, no exaggeration. My wife barely gives a shit about headphones and was making lots of comments about their looks. The bass impact isn't super pronounced at the very lowest end but has really good slam when it is there. While the soundstage is small, it is very very precise and would be good for a gaming/music dual purpose if you like the other qualities.

Now the negatives: The timbre is very metallic. I'm usually an "each their own" guy, but I legitimately don't understand how anyone thinks these sound natural. Maybe on something not solid state? Not sure. The real issue I have with them though, is how forward the mids are. For me, things like the 560s are too mid forward which gives male vocals and other pieces of the music just way too much energy vs the rest of the track. It makes the track sound like everyone and everything IS YELLING ALL THE TIME. These take that senn mid forward approach and push it to 11 for me. It doesn't really measure too hot, but I think the increase in dynamics really double down on this effect. My ears legitimately hurt after listening to these. I like my music on the louder side, but have learned to not go crazy after watching a couple friends get tinnitus. I have no issue listening to these volumes on some of my other sets which I'll go into more later. Also, after coming off of my Sundaras, the music sounds too constrained. That is partially from the smaller soundstage, but is really doubled down because the treble is being buried by this mid bump.

I have tried pulling the mids down around 1250 using PEACE but it loses a lot of dynamics very quickly doing that and I imagine that is why they are tuned this way in the first place.

At this point, I've tried basically every mid-fi headphone "style" and am working my way up the stack.

Some stuff I've tried and don't like.

Beyer DT 1990's (they sounded awesome but the sibilance was eventually too much)

beyer 900 pro x (worse 1990s)

Sennheiser 560s (Too mid forward)

AKG K712 (too dark).

​

Some stuff I do like.

Sundaras(still my fav so far just not enough bass energy for me. looking at the aryas. These sound so ethereal, have really decent bass roll-off, and are very precise with a wide sound stage. If these had slightly punchier low-end, I wouldn't be looking to upgrade at all. The only real unnatural timbre I hear are "lazer" type sounds. They come through HARD, but honestly I really like that, feels like my brain is getting scratched. If you have these, go listen to "Da Funk" by Daft Punk and tell me the lazer part of the track isn't piercing your brain.)

Grado SR60x(Super fun but very fatiguing. They get pulled out once a month to listen to some female vocals at 11)

Sennheiser pc38x(Use these for my ps5 and are scary good. These are my hardest rec for newer audiophiles/gamers. If you don't own these, buy them and use the darker pads which help balance the upper mids for me)

Beyer 770. (I love these headphones so much. I've owned them the longest. They are on the treble heavy side without melting my ears and my only true closed backs)

Harmonicdyne Zeus (I don't usually like a darker headphone, but these are just too good. Listen to some funk or concert hall music on these and you are literally there. Just not enough low end for my tastes)

Stuff I'd like to try/where to head next:
I should have just followed the "buy once, cry once" method and bought the Aryas. I need more oomph in my bass and that seems like the best way to get it without losing the qualities I like in the Sundaras.

I also really want to try some AEON noires, but the measurements look so funky I need to find a place to try them before buying. I can't trust reviewers because almost every one out there likes things more mid forward or darker than I do