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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize wider soundstage and comfort, go for the Sennheiser HD800S, and if you want clearer highs and a slightly more vivid overall sound quality, consider the HifiMan Arya Stealth. Both are open-back, over-ear headphones not suitable for noisy environments or exercise, with no active noise canceling and similar scores in sound quality. The HifiMan Arya Stealth is often less expensive, but if your use involves gaming or watching TV, keep in mind that both have high latency, which could be less ideal. Neither model has a microphone, limiting their use for calls.
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Advantages of the HifiMan Arya Stealth
The HifiMan Arya Stealth has no clear advantages over the Sennheiser HD800S.
Advantages of the Sennheiser HD800S
Best in class for TV and video
Key differences
Cost
$649
$1,600
$300
$320
$340
$360
$380
$400
The HifiMan Arya Stealth has a price of $649 and the Sennheiser HD800S costs $1,600.
The HifiMan Arya Stealth and Sennheiser HD800S are both best in class for music.
Gaming
7.1/10
7.5/10
The Sennheiser HD800S and HifiMan Arya Stealth are both good for gaming.
Phone Calls
5.1/10
5.0/10
The HifiMan Arya Stealth and Sennheiser HD800S are both poor for phone calls.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.1/10
8.1/10
The HifiMan Arya Stealth and Sennheiser HD800S are both very good for podcasts and audiobooks.
TV and Video
9.4/10
9.7/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Sennheiser HD800S to be best in class for TV and video, while the HifiMan Arya Stealth is excellent.
Noise Reduction
2.5/10
2.5/10
The HifiMan Arya Stealth and Sennheiser HD800S are both poor for noise reduction.
Build Quality
9.0/10
9.0/10
The HifiMan Arya Stealth and Sennheiser HD800S both have excellent build quality.
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How the HifiMan Arya Stealth and the Sennheiser HD800S compare to other earbuds and headphones
"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."
"The cans offer stellar sound quality, comfort, and good maintenance options—so they're an easy recommendation if you have the cash and the need for the last headphones you'll buy for years."
Get a great deal on the HifiMan Arya Stealth or the Sennheiser HD800S
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 Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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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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