Drue
Head-Fier
My perfect pair.
I’ve been through many pairs of headphones and a number of IEMs trying to find my perfect yin and yang combination. The Aeolus and Arya are such a fantastic pair. It is such an immediate difference in how they both present sound and switching between the two keeps them both sounding unique. I don’t want to call this a review, because I’m just a guy who has been fortunate enough to own a number of headphones and sits at a desk listening to music while I work and be a college student.
The Aeolus sounds like it looks. A tree looks natural, but when the wood is taken from that tree worked on and refined it gives it that extra pop. The baseline will always be natural, but now it has that push behind it to make different parts stand out. That is what Aeolus will do to your music.
Now that I got some use out of the creative writing class I took a few years ago let me tell you how it sounds. My opinions are based on a ZMF Sapale using the perforated universal suede pads into a Schiit Jot 2/Modius stack. I did also have a THX 789/M300 MKII, but that is a story for another day.
The Aeolus is this punchy and zesty thing that keeps you safe at night as it protects you from the treble monster. you’ll have no problem listening an entire day. The bass has great punch, instruments and vocals have this delicious sweetness to them, and the highs are just enough. You know when you’re having a really good day and you feel like you’re a bit faster to smile, that is what I feel the Aeolus is. I don’t think it will ever fool you that you’re sitting in the room with a singer or band, but it sounds like a singer or a band does in your imagination. It makes things extra special.
The Arya, so much talk about it, and I’m not sure I would’ve liked it as much if I didn’t hear all the headphones I did before it. It does things I’ve never heard before and I don’t mean that in exaggeration. It is able to do this layering thing with the different frequencies where you’re able to jump into the three streams of lows, mids, and highs while you listen. The bass isn’t as punchy, instruments and vocals don’t have that sweetness although they are crystal clear, and highs are the best detail I’ve heard. It lets you almost feel the texture of the notes it is playing for you. Seriously amazing. Now it is able to do that when you focus, but when you lay back everything is together again. It won’t make you feel warm and fuzzy inside though. It is too serious for that.
I’d say the Arya feels more like a tool than a toy like the Aeolus does. Neither are bad things; they are just used for different things. The two contrast each other so well that switching between them makes me think “what does this song sound like on the other” and that was exactly the feeling I wanted to have. I feel like I’m making a decision each time I put one on my head and never immediately grab one or the other. That is exactly what I wanted.
It would be my absolute pleasure to have a discussion in the comments.
The list of Headphones/IEMs in first to last:
HD 58x, HE4xx, LCD2C, Aeon 2C, Ether CX, Aeolus, Arya.
IEMs Tin T3, Blon-03, Tin P1, CA Io, CA Andro V3, CA Solaris OG.
Just some quick songs that I referenced with both.
Bubbles - Yosi Horikawa: The Arya is just on another level when compared to the Aeolus with this song.
Annihilation - i_o, Lights: The Aeolus punch is an absolute blast on this one.
Chocolate Chip Trip - Tool: Both headphones are awesome here. The Arya for the sense of depth and layers it gives and the Aeolus for the punch that it gives with drums.
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor - Beethoven: The separation and sense of scale that the Arya gives takes the cake for all orchestral music.
I’ve been through many pairs of headphones and a number of IEMs trying to find my perfect yin and yang combination. The Aeolus and Arya are such a fantastic pair. It is such an immediate difference in how they both present sound and switching between the two keeps them both sounding unique. I don’t want to call this a review, because I’m just a guy who has been fortunate enough to own a number of headphones and sits at a desk listening to music while I work and be a college student.
The Aeolus sounds like it looks. A tree looks natural, but when the wood is taken from that tree worked on and refined it gives it that extra pop. The baseline will always be natural, but now it has that push behind it to make different parts stand out. That is what Aeolus will do to your music.
Now that I got some use out of the creative writing class I took a few years ago let me tell you how it sounds. My opinions are based on a ZMF Sapale using the perforated universal suede pads into a Schiit Jot 2/Modius stack. I did also have a THX 789/M300 MKII, but that is a story for another day.
The Aeolus is this punchy and zesty thing that keeps you safe at night as it protects you from the treble monster. you’ll have no problem listening an entire day. The bass has great punch, instruments and vocals have this delicious sweetness to them, and the highs are just enough. You know when you’re having a really good day and you feel like you’re a bit faster to smile, that is what I feel the Aeolus is. I don’t think it will ever fool you that you’re sitting in the room with a singer or band, but it sounds like a singer or a band does in your imagination. It makes things extra special.
The Arya, so much talk about it, and I’m not sure I would’ve liked it as much if I didn’t hear all the headphones I did before it. It does things I’ve never heard before and I don’t mean that in exaggeration. It is able to do this layering thing with the different frequencies where you’re able to jump into the three streams of lows, mids, and highs while you listen. The bass isn’t as punchy, instruments and vocals don’t have that sweetness although they are crystal clear, and highs are the best detail I’ve heard. It lets you almost feel the texture of the notes it is playing for you. Seriously amazing. Now it is able to do that when you focus, but when you lay back everything is together again. It won’t make you feel warm and fuzzy inside though. It is too serious for that.
I’d say the Arya feels more like a tool than a toy like the Aeolus does. Neither are bad things; they are just used for different things. The two contrast each other so well that switching between them makes me think “what does this song sound like on the other” and that was exactly the feeling I wanted to have. I feel like I’m making a decision each time I put one on my head and never immediately grab one or the other. That is exactly what I wanted.
It would be my absolute pleasure to have a discussion in the comments.
The list of Headphones/IEMs in first to last:
HD 58x, HE4xx, LCD2C, Aeon 2C, Ether CX, Aeolus, Arya.
IEMs Tin T3, Blon-03, Tin P1, CA Io, CA Andro V3, CA Solaris OG.
Just some quick songs that I referenced with both.
Bubbles - Yosi Horikawa: The Arya is just on another level when compared to the Aeolus with this song.
Annihilation - i_o, Lights: The Aeolus punch is an absolute blast on this one.
Chocolate Chip Trip - Tool: Both headphones are awesome here. The Arya for the sense of depth and layers it gives and the Aeolus for the punch that it gives with drums.
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor - Beethoven: The separation and sense of scale that the Arya gives takes the cake for all orchestral music.
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