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Hifiman Arya, Sundara or Dan Clark Drop Aeon 2 Noire?

GoDawgs

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I bought a Hifiman Nano headphone BEFORE I found the ASR forum, Armirm's review revealed the Nano distortion problem. I still want a good planar headphone, but I don't know whether to attempt an upgrade to Arya ($759 if Hifiman will allow me to upgrade), or just outright buy the Sundara ($299). I paid $499 for the Nano, not sure of the credit allowance yet. I'm also flirting with the idea of just ordering Dan Clark Drop Aeon 2 Noire open backed ($529 which will be around $200 more than the Arya will be with trade in). I really like the planar headphones, and I'm just heartbroken over my Nano purchase, they had great potential. Does anyone have a suggestion that might satisfy my planar craving?
 
The Sundara is the best tuned HP of those options with relatively good distortion figures and is the cheapest one to boot. Should be an easy choice :)
You are probably right, if I had the guts to tell my wife what I was planning she would prefer the cheapest choice. (Actually she'd probably tell me I already have enough audio gear, but she enjoys listening to a single Bose Bluetooth speaker and her phone, so I'll take her advice with a grain of salt :)). I may just purchase the Sundara and keep the Nano, when equalized they really do sound good until you reach the higher volumes and then they introduce some audible distortion.
 
I bought a Hifiman Nano headphone BEFORE I found the ASR forum, Armirm's review revealed the Nano distortion problem. I still want a good planar headphone, but I don't know whether to attempt an upgrade to Arya ($759 if Hifiman will allow me to upgrade), or just outright buy the Sundara ($299). I paid $499 for the Nano, not sure of the credit allowance yet. I'm also flirting with the idea of just ordering Dan Clark Drop Aeon 2 Noire open backed ($529 which will be around $200 more than the Arya will be with trade in). I really like the planar headphones, and I'm just heartbroken over my Nano purchase, they had great potential. Does anyone have a suggestion that might satisfy my planar craving?
I own both the Sundara and the Noire (but not the Arya). I like both and listen to both. The Noire is my choice when I'm really listening closely to a new recording, because of smooth, accurate bass and just wonderful tonal accuracy and separation for acoustic instruments. I've level-matched and A/B'd the Noires to death with various phones and posted about some of it on ASR, but the bottom line is that I can pick out tonal details with them that I can't with the other phones I've tried, while they're just tonally balanced from bottom to top with minor EQ tweaks.. But the Sundara I also like for their overall, tonal balance, and nice bass (with EQ), especially from electronic sources. Not quite as detailed, but get the big picture right. I welcome them as just a 'change-iup' from the Noires more than all of my IEM's and phones. I do think the bass of the Sundara needs to be EQ'd up and I've softened the treble, but the Sundara accepts EQ as gracefully as the Noire. They're closer to each other in SQ than the difference in prices, although the Noire is better-built and quite a bit more comfortable.

[PS just noticed you said "Noire open-backed" ... unless things have changed, the Noire is closed-back, and it's the similar "Aeon 2" open-back headphone. Either way, the experience I described was with the closed-back Noire.]
 
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It depends on your tastebuds. If you want moar BASS compared to your Amanda Nano, then go for the Aeon Open. It’s a very bassy and warm headphone.
I’d personally recommend the Sundara, but I also prefer flat bass and natural mids (ief neutral). The new Silver Sundara also comes with full bass extension which is nice.
It’d only ever get the Arya if I thought the Amanda was lacking brightness.

If you equalise? Then go with the cheapest/prettiest/the one that looks the most comfortable.
 
The Dan Clark Drop Aeon 2 Noire does not seem to be without problems according to Amir's review. But fine with EQ.
I have the Sundara, but IMHO I find it a bit limited to certain genres of music.
For electronic music the Sundara is fine, but for acoustic music (think western guitars) I find the HD650 sounds more "natural" and gives the acoustic instruments a better timbre. I also prefer the HD650 for slightly overdriven electric guitars...
I use some PEQ tweaks for both the Sundara and the HD650. Not sure, if I would buy the Sundara again.
 
The Dan Clark Drop Aeon 2 Noire does not seem to be without problems according to Amir's review. But fine with EQ.
I have the Sundara, but IMHO I find it a bit limited to certain genres of music.
For electronic music the Sundara is fine, but for acoustic music (think western guitars) I find the HD650 sounds more "natural" and gives the acoustic instruments a better timbre. I also prefer the HD650 for slightly overdriven electric guitars...
I use some PEQ tweaks for both the Sundara and the HD650. Not sure, if I would buy the Sundara again.
I'm almost in the same boat, I also have the HD650 as well as the Anando Nano. The Nano sounds really impressive EQ'd but distortion becomes noticeable if you turn them up for short term "crank'em up" songs (that's the technical term we used in the 1970s ;)). There is something special about planar headphones done right. I used to have a headphone from Pioneer back in the 1970s that utilized polymer film for drivers, I also had their HPM 40 speakers which used the same polymer film as a super tweeter (their term). I have no idea if it's the same technology matured, but there is faster(?) sounding response in the planar headphone that I thoroughly enjoy. I am just going to hold on to what I have for a little while since I have already purchased new speakers this month.
 
The Sundara can sound impressive with EQ, and in my opinion especially the bass feels punchier ("faster") on the Sundara than on the HD650.
But in the end, I found myself picking up the HD650 more than the Sundara.

Going back to the acoustic guitars above, with the Sundara I can hear exactly how the steel strings are plucked or strummed, every little detail is there.
With the HD650 I may not be able to hear every little string detail, but I can hear the wood body and how it resonates with the strings.
And ultimately that's what I prefer, it's more musical to my ear.
 
The Sundara can sound impressive with EQ, and in my opinion especially the bass feels punchier ("faster") on the Sundara than on the HD650.
But in the end, I found myself picking up the HD650 more than the Sundara.

Going back to the acoustic guitars above, with the Sundara I can hear exactly how the steel strings are plucked or strummed, every little detail is there.
With the HD650 I may not be able to hear every little string detail, but I can hear the wood body and how it resonates with the strings.
And ultimately that's what I prefer, it's more musical to my ear.
I agree, I told a guy that a double bass sounded so good on my HD650 that I could almost smell the rosin, I could hear the wood of the instrument in the tone. I can hear the strings rattle like I'm sitting 6 feet away.

With Nano bass is good, deep and responsive but the brass like sax, trumpet, plus the cymbals, etc. can sound so real with tone so realistic and present!
 
I’ve had Sundara for over a year, alongside Fidelio X2. Got DC Aeon 2 Noire recently.
Noire blows Sundara out of the water in every single way I can think of. It’s not even close. I sold Sundara as I found them subpar, redundant and plain boring in comparison. Sundara are hyped up to the moon imo
 
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