om3gapro OP t1_ja1gkka wrote on February 26, 2023 at 3:14 AM

Reply to comment by Zero_Aspect in Finally added an Audeze headphone to the collection by om3gapro

This is a really hard question. I think the Focal Clear actually sound the best to me but the lack of soundstage really hurts it imo. I think the Focal Clear would be a great daily driver, but I really like having a wide soundstage so unfortunately I think that eliminates the Clear for me but if you don't mind a lack of soundstage I would probably go for the Clear OG.

So this leaves the HD8XX vs Arya. I have sticker modded my HD8XX which is a rather simple process but I get not everyone would want to do that, so if that's something you're not willing to do, then I would say the HD8XX is easily the worst out of all 4 headphones. With the sticker mod applied, I THINK I lean towards the HD8XX. I think the Arya sound a bit better and actually have pretty great bass but they have this really prominent sibilant spike that can get pretty fatiguing. They also have a pretty decent soundstage. They're like a really good inbetween of the Clear and the HD8XX but the HD8XX is more comfortable and since I play a lot of videogames I like the additional soundstage. The HD8XX is just REALLY lean sounding, the mids don't sound very natural and there is next to no bass, whereas the mids on the Arya are also a little lacking but they make up for that with good bass performance. For reference I have the Arya V2 not Stealth

Zero_Aspect t1_ja1nkhm wrote on February 26, 2023 at 4:13 AM

Cannot agree with you more about the Clears. Amazing for most of the music I listen to, but way too intimate of a soundstage for gaming/movies (where voices sound a little unnatural). It's a screaming good value though, and I actually prefer it without any EQ (except some moderate bass boost). I use mine to focus/study as their metallic timbre is perfect for more melodic/instrumental music.

I was iffy about sticker modding an HD8XX so I got the HD800S instead, but its awesome that you've had success with it. I also agree with your analysis of HD8xx/Arya except I have the Stealth which is supposedly less bright than the V2 (but V2's have more soundstage). My Arya's are my go-to pair for enjoying music, everything sounds amazing on them (but I do miss the dynamic-ness of the Clears here sometimes). I haven't really figured out how to get the most of my HD800S for music yet, but it gets probably the most usage out of all my headphones as I use it for gaming/movies. The soundstage is just wayyy too good. If I had to pick one though, I'd probably pick the Arya's since they're an exceptional all-arounder.

Cyberspace242 t1_ja3hzgy wrote on February 26, 2023 at 4:00 PM

I’m really intrigued by the 800s. How wide would you say the soundstage is? Anything else cheaper that comes close? Do they compliment an Arya nicely?

Zero_Aspect t1_ja3qgqd wrote on February 26, 2023 at 4:57 PM

Out of all the headphones I have (6xx, r70x, clear og, arya) the HD800s has noticeably the widest soundstage with nearly the best imaging as well (the Arya Stealth's are slightly better). As for cheaper options, I believe that the AKG K702 or K712 comes close in soundstage width but may be lacking in other areas. Idk if Arya's really complement the HD800S well, they both sound similar except Arya's have more bass. If you want HD800S for just music, I'd pass if you already have the Arya's. If you want them for gaming/movies, I'd say it's worth considering.

blucsigma05 t1_ja6bprl wrote on February 27, 2023 at 4:02 AM

Agree with the Clears too. Ironically I ended up with the Sony mdr-z1r which is closed back to compliment the clear but it serves as more of more bass wider soundstage mood.