Absolutely worth the upgrade imo! Just pretty much take the Aryas and add warmth in the tonality, more treble control while being technically superior in every single category.

Thank you! Love the headphone a lot :) definitely the HE1000 is a headphone made for listening pleasure, I been listening nonstop this weekend, which is in the end what this hobby is all about. Hope you can trade in the Arya SE for something you like better hopefully!

It is the V2 :) the box came with the book and the medical tubing cables. Even tho is not the newest stealth revision it still sounds so detailed. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Yeah you are right about that, but even so some people said that vocals sounded amazing and that the sound had nothing offensive, so I thought with some EQ I would be able to fix it but it clearly wasn't the case, just the overall presentation of the headphone is a bit too clean/dull at times.

Thank you! It is my favorite headphone right now, having a blast :) I might get the Moon Audio silver dragon cable later on, I'm using the Apos Flow cable which ain't bad at all, much better than the stock one at least.

Oh yeah you are right about the upper midrange, the HE1000 doesn't have that issue at all, it is a smoother sounding headphone. Like you said, now that the difference is $700 I would say the HE1000 is the better buy and even better value than the Arya.

I have tried the E10K and I think with the 6XX it did sound anemic/bright. Compared to the iFi Nano I had back then, the Nano had better bass, mids and a more controlled yet detailed treble than the E10K. Since then I have upgraded to a iFi iDSD signature for portable use and the Hifiman EF400 for desktop use and while they do have their own sound signature, they both do have a very similar overall sonic presentation to the iFi Nano I had back then. So yeah basically I think upgrading to something in the $150-$250 range definitely be an improvement and should give you the proper sound out of the headphones in all frequencies.

Yeah I feel you! When I began in the hobby back in 2016 I had the HD598 and I used them with an old iPod Touch, while it did sound good, when I finally took the risk of buying a Dragonfly Red DAC/AMP the difference in sound quality was immediately noticeable. I'm not saying it's going to sounds like a totally different headphone but, it will make it come alive for sure. So yeah I think the JDS atom should indeed make a significant difference in musical enjoyment, the laptop is definitely not giving you the full potential.

People here will always be in denial that 300ohms can be driven from a dongle or any laptop and sound "good". For me what makes the Sennheiser 600 series of headphones special is when it's connected to a powerful source and especially to a tube amp, makes them sound so analog, warm and realistic timbre wise.

Yes for sure, if you love 650 bass then probably the 600 won't be your preference tuning wise. For me I have the Hifiman Arya (with EQ) for bass heavy tracks when I want some punch/slam.

I think the 660S is not veiled at all, especially if you EQ it doesn't sound that different from my Hifiman Arya treble response. I think the legend is mostly about the 650/6XX which are definitely darker in the treble. I think even the 600 is not veiled.

I had them both, 660S is more detailed and energetic sounding but not as warm as the 6XX in the midbass. However the 660S doesn't have the natural timbre and smoothness of the 6XX/600 and also the treble tuning bothers me a bit, since above 10k they definitely need EQ since they sound too recessed. With EQ they are the best objectively of the 6x0 line (if you don't mind a bit more artificial timbre). I personally love the 600 the best as my absolute reference headphone for tuning or just overall enjoyment, they just sound the most natural to my ears.

Agreed and I haven't personally seen anyone yet saying their Arya Stealth broke, I love mine and build is solid enough for me to not worry.

I think most issues are with the lower tier headphones. Arya Stealth Magnet, HE1000 V2/ SE and Susvara I have barely heard QC issues at all (me being an Arya owner for a while now).

might be for better... people think to much about technicalities, just enjoy music and have fun :)

Laughs in Hifiman Susvara/Focal Utopia