A few of you might remember my post a few days ago about how a $1 pair of IEMs was delivering performance that (to my ears) surpassed the Fiio FT1. Well, that is still true, though I may have gotten lucky with the IEM since others I tried from the same brand weren’t nearly as good.

I still wanted a good pair of headphones, so I ordered the HD6XX next. While significantly different from the FT1s (and the KZs), it still didn’t feel like enough of an upgrade.

I figured I would give this hobby one last try and ordered the Arya Stealth open box off HifiMan’s website. They just arrived today and…wow.

This is what I was looking for as a newbie who just wants a better listening experience to gain deeper appreciation for the music I listen to every day. This is a clear and significant jump above almost everything else I have heard in the past. I’m not only hearing details I was missing in the past - this level of immersion is entirely new.

Thanks to everyone who had helpful suggestions. This setup (with some plans for EQ) is more than enough for me. I have some things to return, but I’ll be hanging around to see what everyone else is enjoying.