Over-Ear
HiFiMAN Arya
88Outstanding
$769
Full review dataHiFiMAN Arya vs Sony WH-1000X The ColleXion: which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the HiFiMAN Arya comes out ahead with an HearWiki score of 88. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.
Our pick: HiFiMAN Arya - Outstanding overall at around $769.
Over-Ear
Sony WH-1000X The ColleXion
78Great
$650
Full review dataScore breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
HiFiMAN Arya
Sound9.5
Value8.0
Sony WH-1000X The ColleXion
Sound8.0
Noise cancelling9.0
Battery7.0
Calls8.0
Value5.0
Specifications
| Spec | HiFiMAN Arya | Sony WH-1000X The ColleXion |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Over-Ear | Over-Ear |
| Price (USD) | $769 | $650 |
| HearWiki score | 88 / 100 · Outstanding | 78 / 100 · Great |
| Released | 2021 | 2026 |
| Audio | ||
| Driver | Planar | dynamic |
| Driver type | - | bespoke driver |
| Driver size | - | 30 mm |
| Drivers per side | 1 | 1 |
| Frequency response | 8Hz-65kHz | 4 Hz - 40,000 Hz |
| Sound signature | Bright neutral | - |
| Impedance | 35 Ω | 48 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 90 dB/mW | 103 dB/mW |
| Wireless | ||
| Bluetooth | - | 6 |
| Bluetooth version | - | 6.0 |
| Codecs | - | SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 |
| Multipoint pairing | - | Yes |
| Battery | ||
| Battery life | - | 32 h |
| Battery life (ANC on) | - | 24 h |
| Full charge time | - | 210 min |
| Quick charge | - | 5 min = ~90 min |
| Wireless charging | - | No |
| Features | ||
| Active noise cancelling | - | Yes |
| ANC type | - | hybrid |
| Transparency mode | - | Yes |
| Companion app | - | Yes |
| Custom EQ | - | Yes |
| Wear detection | - | Yes |
| Controls | - | both |
| Voice assistant | - | built-in voice assistant support |
| Design | ||
| Weight | 430 g | 320 g |
| Water resistance | - | none |
| USB-C | No | Yes |
| Balanced connection | Yes | - |
| Calls | ||
| Microphones | - | 12 |
| Microphone | - | Yes |
What reviewers said
HiFiMAN Arya
The HiFiMAN Arya is a premium planar magnetic headphone known for its exceptionally fast, detailed, and airy sound. Its bright-neutral tuning delivers a highly resolving, spacious presentation with excellent technical performance, making it a strong choice for critical listening, though it requires a good amplifier to shine. With a comfortable open-back design and a relatively affordable price for its class, it balances high-end performance with accessibility.
- Pro:Excellent detail retrieval and transparency
- Pro:Wide, open soundstage with precise imaging
- Pro:Fast and articulate planar driver response
- Con:Bright treble can be fatiguing for sensitive ears
- Con:Needs a powerful amp to reach full potential
- Con:Open-back leaks sound and offers little isolation
Sony WH-1000X The ColleXion
The Sony WH-1000X The ColleXion is a premium over-ear headphone that combines strong adaptive noise cancellation with a rich feature set, including LDAC support and multipoint Bluetooth. Its sound is detailed and refined, though tuning leans toward a treble-forward character that may not suit everyone. While build quality and connectivity impress, the steep price and modest battery life with ANC active are notable drawbacks.
- Pro:Excellent adaptive noise cancellation
- Pro:Support for LDAC and Bluetooth 6.0
- Pro:Comfortable fit with multiple mic array for calls
- Con:High price for the feature set
- Con:Treble-heavy tuning may be fatiguing
- Con:Battery life with ANC is average at 24 hours
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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