HiFiMan Arya Wifi Streaming Headphones

Sound:
Value:
(Read about our ratings)

I debated briefly whether this review should run here on SoundStage! Solo or over on SoundStage! Simplifi. “Why Simplifi?” you might ask; “these are headphones!” True, but these big, open-back, planar-magnetic cans have Bluetooth and Wi‑Fi connectivity, plus a built-in amplifier, DAC, and network streamer that supports Apple AirPlay 2, Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, Roon, Tidal Connect, and UPnP. On Simplifi, we frequently review integrated amplifiers and active loudspeakers with streaming capability. So why not streaming headphones? Because Solo is where SoundStage! readers expect to find headphone reviews, that’s why.

Description

HiFiMan’s Arya Wifi headphones retail for US$1449, CA$2099, £1409, or €1599. From the outside, they look a lot like other open-back planars from this Chinese brand. Finished entirely in black, the Arya Wifi headphones are a handsome design, with large oval drivers and comfortable earpads. According to HiFiMan, the drivers’ diaphragms are 40 percent thinner than those on its first-generation headphones. Specified frequency response is 8Hz–55kHz, ±0.5dB.

The wireless Aryas also have a new headband design that is said to be 20 to 30g lighter than previous HiFiMan designs. I have a pretty large noggin, but I found these ’phones very comfortable through long listening sessions, despite their weighing a hefty 452g.

A close look at the bottom of the left earcup reveals the unusual capabilities of these headphones. From front to back, you’ll find a USB‑C port, a hidden reset button, a power button with an inset LED that indicates Bluetooth and power status, a function button with an inset LED that indicates selected source (green for Wi‑Fi, purple for USB), and a small rocker switch for raising and lowering volume. What you won’t find are any analog inputs; Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, and USB are the only connectivity options.

That’s your clue to what’s inside: an oval-shaped circuit board incorporated into the outer ring of the headphone housing. The small PC board contains the Bluetooth and Wi‑Fi radios, streaming module, DAC chip, and amplifier. Via Wi‑Fi and USB, the wireless Aryas can accept PCM data up to 32‑bit/768kHz and native DSD up to 22.58MHz (DSD512). Supported Bluetooth codecs comprise SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC. The battery that powers the ’phones is rated for 6.5 to 7.5 hours of playback time in Wi‑Fi mode and 23 hours in Bluetooth mode. A full charge takes three to four hours.

All this adds up to a uniquely appealing feature set. For audiophiles who have embraced streaming, HiFiMan’s Arya Wifi headphones will seem like a dream come true for personal, at-home listening.

As noted, the wireless Aryas support a wide range of streaming protocols, but the product page and manual caution that support for Roon and Spotify Connect are “unauthorized.” I asked HiFiMan about this, and received this emailed reply: “Roon is done. It’s just got some paperwork to go but it’s all compliant. Spotify works but we cannot reach Spotify to get them to certify. We are working with their partners to do so but they seem to move like molasses in winter. Tidal also works, but paperwork . . .”

For this review, Motet Distribution, HiFiMan’s Canadian distributor, supplied a demo pair of headphones in a hard case. No case is included with the retail package—which makes sense, as the wireless Aryas are clearly intended for home listening. In addition to the ’phones themselves (with earpads attached), the package includes a 2m USB‑A‑to‑USB‑C cable and printed manual.

Setup and use

That manual (also available online) is more about promotion than instruction. There are several pages on design and features, but just a couple on setup and use. The manual provides the information you’ll need to get connected and use the headphones, but it’s pretty terse.

For most users, the first step will be connecting the headphones to their Wi‑Fi network. Per the manual, I powered up the ’phones, then enabled the Wi‑Fi input by pressing the function button for several seconds. Next, I opened the Wi‑Fi settings menu of my iPhone 14 and chose the hotspot network created by the wireless Aryas, entered the network password listed in the manual, then opened the phone’s browser and entered the IP address also provided in the manual. That opened a window where I could scroll through available Wi‑Fi networks. I chose mine, entered my password, and then went back to the phone’s Wi‑Fi settings menu and logged back onto my home network. I found the process quite cludgy, but it worked as described.

After setup, the wireless Aryas appeared in player-software menus as “HIFIMAN‑STREAMER‑DR598.” The manual cautions that users with mesh networks may experience interruptions during handoffs between network nodes. I have a four-node Google Wifi mesh network but did not experience problems when I played music while wandering around my house. Interestingly, there were some interruptions when I was streaming from Roon while sitting at my desk, but I’ve experienced that with other devices, so I can’t fault the wireless Aryas for that.

I had no problem getting the USB connection to work with my MacBook Pro. But when I connected the headphones to the Lightning port on my iPhone 14, iOS could not find them, and neither could the Qobuz app. The USB connection worked fine with my Google Pixel 4a (5G) smartphone. As soon as I connected the headphones to the Android device’s USB‑C port, a window appeared asking which music app I wanted to use. I chose USB Audio Player Pro, which I had downloaded from the Google Play Store, and it worked fine—I could stream from Qobuz and play local content stored on the device. But that utility had to be running—I could not play music from the Qobuz app directly without the USB Audio Player Pro app running in the background.

Weirdly, the listed name for the HiFiMan headphones in the Bluetooth setup menus on my MacBook Pro, iPhone 14, and Google Pixel 4a was “ARYA WiFi set up.” I was able to pair the Aryas with any of these devices as long as I initiated the process after turning the headphones off and back on again (they default to Bluetooth on power-up).

I experienced a few irritations during day-to-day operation. It takes quite a while to power up the Aryas and change inputs. My solution was to leave the ’phones turned on and plugged into a charger when I wasn’t using them, with the Wi‑Fi input engaged, so that they’d be ready to go whenever I had time for a listening session—as long as I wanted to stream via Wi‑Fi, which I almost always did. This reflects how these headphones will typically be used.

The wireless Aryas have no pause or mute buttons. I found their absence irksome when someone or something required my attention during a listening session. I had to take off the ’phones and pause playback in the music app I was using at the time. There are also no transport controls.

More seriously, the volume control is quite coarse. When playing from the USB output of my Google Pixel 4a (5G) smartphone, the USB Audio Player Pro app reported a level change of 3dB following a single press of the up or down button on the left earcup. When streaming to the Aryas via UPnP from the Audirvāna app on my HP Spectre x360 Windows notebook PC, a single tap on either volume button resulted in a reported change of approximately 1.5dB (it varied slightly). Roon has a 100-step slider volume control. Most adjustments yielded no change in volume at all, but some gave a very substantial boost or cut. With all apps on all the devices I used, it was often hard to find just the right level for the music I was playing, whether I was using the headphones’ hardware controls or the software controls in the music app I was running.

There was other weirdness. When I streamed music via UPnP from the mconnect app on my Android phone, pressing either of the volume buttons on the earcups paused playback instead of changing volume; a second press caused playback to resume. But this didn’t happen when streaming via UPnP from the Audirvāna app on my HP notebook PC. With AirPlay, the volume buttons worked as expected, but when I used these buttons, the volume graphic on my iPhone did not reflect the change.

Connections

I was curious whether I’d hear any difference between a direct USB connection and streaming via Wi‑Fi. So I connected the headphones to a USB‑C port on my MacBook Pro and used Roon to play “Take Five” from the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s iconic 1959 album Time Out (DSD64, SACD rip from Columbia CS 65122), switching between Wi‑Fi and USB. I thought I heard some differences, despite the fact that it took the better part of a minute to change connections. Was there a bit more space between the musicians with the Wi‑Fi connection? Were Joe Morello’s snare hits just a tad harsher with the USB connection? Maybe, but I wouldn’t swear to it. Whatever differences I heard were extremely subtle. Importantly, the data stream being sent to the ’phones was different with the two connections. Via USB, the sound was going through the audio engine in macOS and being converted to 24/96 PCM (the setting I had entered into macOS’s Audio MIDI Setup utility). Via Wi‑Fi, the ’phones were receiving a DSD64 stream.

Playing the title track of All Ashore by the bluegrass quintet Punch Brothers (24/96 FLAC, Nonesuch) using the USB Audio Player Pro app on my Pixel phone, I could discern no meaningful difference compared with the same song played via Wi‑Fi from my Roon server.

Next, I tried Bluetooth. The Pixel phone used the high-quality LDAC codec. Listening to “Midnight Movement” from Jon Batiste’s new solo-piano album Monk Meditations (24/48 FLAC, Monk Meditations / Qobuz), the sound was slightly fuller and more spacious with the Wi‑Fi connection than with LDAC Bluetooth—not a night-and-day difference, but noticeable.

The USB and Bluetooth features could prove handy in situations where a Wi‑Fi connection is unavailable, or when you’re using these headphones away from the setting where you normally use them and you don’t want to go through the Wi‑Fi setup process. But you may have to jump through some hoops to get them to work. In terms of audio performance, the Wi‑Fi connection is either best, or tied with USB for best.

Listening

Accordingly, I used Wi‑Fi for almost all of my listening, which makes sense, as that is how the Arya Wifi ’phones are meant to be used. I don’t subscribe to Spotify or Tidal, so I did not test the Connect features for either of those services. For most of my listening, I used Qobuz Connect and Roon, and except for the coarse volume adjustments, they worked fine.

I started with a track I had used to compare connection types. Monk Meditations is one of three extraordinary albums that Jon Batiste dropped on August 13, two riffing on the music of Thelonious Monk, the other on Mozart compositions. “Midnight Movement,” which is based on Monk’s “’Round Midnight,” sounded delectable through the wireless Aryas. Batiste’s gentle attacks were precise, but not excessively spotlit, making it easy to appreciate his exquisite phrasing. The reverberation of his pedaled notes through the recording venue appeared on a wide soundstage that extended almost to my shoulders, enhancing the moody atmosphere in this piece. Piano timbre was convincing and consistent throughout the entire range of the instrument. My only quibble was that the deep synth notes that underpin much of the track weren’t quite as prominent as I’ve heard with other playback setups.

I’ve come across criticisms of some HiFiMan planars for being a bit bass-shy—was that the cause of those slightly faint synth notes? To get a better handle on this, I cued up one of my go-to tracks for assessing bass performance: “Regular Pleasures” from Patricia Barber’s 2002 album Verse (16/44.1 ALAC, CD rip from Premonition Records 7243 5 39856 2 2). Throughout this song, Michael Arnopol plays a descending double-bass riff, with each bar punctuated by a big bass-drum thwack by Joey Baron. Those elements weren’t quite as powerful as I’ve heard on other headphones and speakers, but they were by no means missing in action. More importantly, they had outstanding texture and palpability, and not a bit of bloat or overhang. My conclusion: the wireless Aryas may not have big bass, but they have great bass.

Higher up the audioband, these headphones turned in a superb performance. Baron’s snare hits had great snap, without a hint of stridency. His hi‑hat and cymbal strikes sounded crisply metallic, but never splashy. The real revelation, though, was Barber’s singing. As usual with this artist, her enunciation was crystal-clear; but through the wireless Aryas the slightly hot sibilants I’ve noticed on other setups were not at all bothersome. Barber’s smoky, almost-spoken alto vocals sounded completely natural—full and embodied. Subtle expressive touches, such as emphases of certain words or phrases, were present without being exaggerated.

This artsy-fartsy stuff is well and good, but how would the wireless Aryas fare with something harder-hitting? Very well indeed, as I confirmed by playing the title track from Everybody Scream by Florence + the Machine (24/48 FLAC, Florence + The Machine / Qobuz). The gentle opening revealed the impressive spatial chops of these open-back planars. The high-pitched Hammond organ, placed hard-left and hard-right, appeared well outside my head, almost over my shoulders, with the wordless female vocals in between, right around my ears. About 45 seconds in, the energy suddenly ramps up. The pounding drums and electric bass guitar had loads of impact, with ultra-fast attacks and not a bit of overhang. Florence Welch’s emotionally wrought singing was wonderfully reproduced, with every expressive nuance laid bare, attesting to the headphones’ neutrality through the midband. This is a very busy track, with many interacting elements—a large group of female backup singers singing and cheering wildly, intense percussion, electric instruments, and of course Florence herself—and the HiFiMan ’phones sorted through it all beautifully. The sound was dense, as it should be on this track, but not at all congested or compressed.

Comparison

I compared the Arya Wifi headphones with my conventional rig: a pair of HiFiMan Edition X V2 planar-magnetic headphones (discontinued, US$1299 when available) and an iFi Audio Micro iDSD Black Label DAC–headphone amplifier (discontinued, US$599 when available), which I connected to a USB port on my Roon Labs Nucleus One server.

Not surprisingly, the sound of both setups was quite similar—but not identical. On “Regular Pleasures” by Patricia Barber, Joey Baron’s big bass-drum thwacks were more powerful through the wired setup, but also more bloated. Michael Arnopol’s double-bass riffs were a bit fainter, but snappier and better-defined through the wireless Aryas. Further up the audioband, it was a virtual tie. Barber’s vocals sounded great through both setups; those sibilants were present, but not irritatingly so. Overall, I preferred the sound of the wireless Aryas by a small margin.

On “All Ashore” by Punch Brothers, the action of fingers on the strings of the bluegrass instruments—banjo, mandolin, guitar—was more apparent on the wireless setup, without being excessively spotlit, and the instruments were better separated from one another. Paul Kowert’s double-bass notes sounded thuddier and less defined through the wired setup, and Gabe Witcher’s fiddle playing sounded a little screechier. The overall presentation was more closed-in with the wired setup. Again, I preferred the sound with the wireless setup—and I greatly enjoyed not being tethered to a headphone amplifier.

Conclusion

From the foregoing, it should be obvious that I absolutely loved the sound of HiFiMan’s Arya Wifi headphones. And from the comparison above, it’s clear that I was equally impressed with their value. Thus the high scores at the beginning of this review for Sound and Value.

Normally, a score of 9 for Sound and 8 for Value would make these headphones a strong contender for a Reviewers’ Choice award. But Solo’s rating system does not have a category for user experience. If it did, the irritations I outlined in the “Setup and use” section would have led me to assign a score of 5.5 for UX—a bare passing grade. For me, these problems remove the Aryas from consideration for Reviewers’ Choice honors.

Mind you, these issues aren’t necessarily deal-breakers. Wi‑Fi setup was kind of awkward, but this is usually a one-time process, and it worked as outlined in the manual. The lagginess in startup time and input-switching won’t be an issue for users like me who listen only through Wi‑Fi and leave the ’phones powered on while charging. I described quirks with some apps, but if you don’t use those apps, these are non-issues. The most serious flaw is the coarse volume control, which often made it hard to find just the right setting—a single button press of the headphone’s volume-up button or a small adjustment with a software volume control could take the volume from too soft to too loud.

I still think the wireless Aryas are a very appealing all-in-one package for at-home listening. I loved being able to listen and wander about, untethered to a headphone cable and amplifier. I think many people will consider all this and say to themselves, I love what these ’phones have to offer, and I think I could live with them, warts and all. Others will decide to wait for a version-two model. I’m on the fence.

. . . Gordon Brockhouse
gordon@soundstage.com

Associated Equipment

• Headphones: HiFiMan Edition X V2
• DAC–headphone amplifier: iFi Audio Micro iDSD BL
• Music server: Roon Labs Nucleus One
• Laptops: Apple MacBook Pro (M3), HP Spectre x360 (Intel i7)
• Smartphones: Apple iPhone 14, Google Pixel 4a (5G)
• Network: Google Wifi four-node mesh network