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Updated January 10, 2024·
The HifiMan Arya Stealth delivers exceptional sound quality and soundstage, making it superb for critical listening and experiencing immersive audio with its open-back design. However, it's less suited for calls and meetings, and lacks features like a microphone or active noise cancelling. It's not ideal for exercising, as it is not sweatproof, nor particularly portable or good for noise isolation, making it less suitable for travel. On the other hand, the JBL Quantum 100, while offering lower overall sound quality, includes a boom microphone making it better for gaming and calls, has a closed-back design for better noise isolation, making it a versatile option for daily use. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HifiMan Arya Stealth
Best in class for music
Excellent for TV and video
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the JBL Quantum 100
Very good for gaming
Key differences
Music
10.0/10
7.0/10
The HifiMan Arya Stealth is best in class for music, while the JBL Quantum 100 is good.
Gaming
7.1/10
8.5/10
The JBL Quantum 100 is very good for gaming, while the HifiMan Arya Stealth is good.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.1/10
4.5/10
The HifiMan Arya Stealth is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the JBL Quantum 100 is poor.
TV and Video
9.4/10
7.1/10
The HifiMan Arya Stealth is excellent for TV and video, while the JBL Quantum 100 is good.
Noise Reduction
2.5/10
5.3/10
The JBL Quantum 100 and HifiMan Arya Stealth are both poor for noise reduction, though the JBL Quantum 100 is somewhat better.
Cost
$649
$35
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The HifiMan Arya Stealth has a price of $649 and the JBL Quantum 100 costs $35.
Build Quality
9.0/10
6.5/10
The HifiMan Arya Stealth has excellent build quality, while the JBL Quantum 100 has only fair build quality.
"The Arya can easily be end-game headphones for 99% of consumers, satisfying most audio desires. Priced well above USD$1000, the Arya are obviously and gloriously not for the mass market consumer; they are designed and built by enthusiasts for enthusiasts – especially those who view their expenses on this level of gear as investments."
"I appreciate a functional piece of tech as much as I do gear on the bleeding edge, and the JBL Quantum 100 certainly falls in the former category. The sound is reasonably good, the built-in microphone is surprisingly reliable and it has a thoughtful design for the price. It lacks the convenience of Bluetooth, sure, but sometimes it’s nice not to have to worry about the finicky nature of wireless communication and go with good old hard-wired tech."
Get a great deal on the HifiMan Arya Stealth or the JBL Quantum 100
About HifiMan
HiFiMAN is a Chinese, high-end, audio product manufacturer, with 20 years of experience, that specializes in amplifiers, digital audio players and planar magnetic headphones, some of which have become a staple in the audiophile community such as the entry-level Sundara, the midrange Edition X, and the very well-regarded, high-end, Arya.
About JBL
JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer. Owned by Harman International which is, itself, owned by Samsung Electronics. JBL markets a wide array of monitoring speakers, professional headphones and consumer market headphones and earbuds. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing (whose initials give the company its name) and has become one of the most prolific audio companies ever. Their products were responsible for audio during the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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