HiFiMan Arya vs Sennheiser HD 800 S

106 facts in comparison

Based on 4,415 Reddit opinions. Close raceβ€”HiFiMan Arya edges ahead.

4.4K opinions
HiFiMan Arya leads by 4pts
Reddit's Pick
HiFiMan Arya
85%
A-
Based on
2,957 Redditors
Winner

HiFiMan Arya

~$599
1,549 opinions

tldr; Planar endgame contender. Massive stage, ethereal detail. QC worries but sound is special.

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VS
Sennheiser HD 800 S
81%
B+
Based on
5,711 Redditors

Sennheiser HD 800 S

~$1,899
2,866 opinions

tldr; Soundstage monster. Legendary imaging, treble spike bothers some. Detail retrieval god.

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Sound QualityComfortValueBuild QualityFeatures
🎡SOU
😌COM
πŸ’°VAL
πŸ”§BUI
⚑FEA
72
Points
61
Points

Score by Category

Sound Quality
80%82%
Comfort
78%77%
Value
82%49%
Build Quality
44%69%
Features
62%58%

Why is HD 800 S better than HiFiMan Arya?

  • Better build quality (69% vs 44%)
  • Legendary soundstage
  • Precise imaging
  • Treble spike
Based on 8,668 Reddit opinions
Too Close to Call

Reddit prefers the HiFiMan Arya

Winning by 4 points (85% vs 81%)

Better bass
Better value
Huge soundstage
High confidence (8,668 mentions)

πŸ’¬Reddit Sentiment

Based on 8,668 Reddit mentions

Overall Rating

HiFiMan Arya
8.5/10
2,957 mentions
800 S
8.1/10
5,711 mentions
SOUND QUALITY
HiFiMan Arya8.0/10
800 S8.2/10
BASS
HiFiMan Arya8.4/10
800 S2.9/10
COMFORT
HiFiMan Arya7.8/10
800 S7.7/10
VALUE
HiFiMan Arya8.2/10
800 S4.9/10
BUILD QUALITY
HiFiMan Arya4.4/10
800 S6.9/10
FEATURES
HiFiMan Arya6.2/10
800 S5.8/10
βš”οΈ

Head to Head

Head to Head

HiFiMan Arya: 3|800 S: 1
Sound Quality
HiFiMan Arya80%
800 S82%
BassHiFiMan Arya
HiFiMan Arya84%
800 S29%
Comfort
HiFiMan Arya78%
800 S77%
ValueHiFiMan Arya
HiFiMan Arya82%
800 S49%
Build Quality800 S
HiFiMan Arya44%
800 S69%
FeaturesHiFiMan Arya
HiFiMan Arya62%
800 S58%
HiFiMan Arya85%
800 S81%
Close race - HiFiMan Arya edges ahead by 4 points

Key Specs

SpecHiFiMan AryaSennheiser HD 800 S
Driver Type
Planar Magnetic
β€”
Impedance
32 ohms
300 ohms
Sensitivity
94 dB/mW
β€”
Frequency Response
8-65,000 Hz
4-51,000 Hz (-10 dB)
Earcup Style
Open-back over-ear
β€”

Key Highlights

HiFiMan Arya
🌌 Huge soundstage
🎡 Ethereal detail
⚠️ QC concerns
πŸ‘‘ Near summit-fi
Sennheiser HD 800 SWinner
🌌 Legendary soundstage
🎯 Precise imaging
⚠️ Treble spike
πŸ’° Used value now

Topic Battles

HiFiMan Arya: 2|Tied: 2|800 S: 1
🎡Sound Quality
HiFiMan Arya
80%
800 S
82%
😌Comfort
HiFiMan Arya
78%
800 S
77%
πŸ’°Value
HiFiMan Arya wins
HiFiMan Arya
82%
800 S
49%
πŸ”§Build Quality
800 S wins
HiFiMan Arya
44%
800 S
69%
⚑Features
HiFiMan Arya wins
HiFiMan Arya
62%
800 S
58%

Based on Reddit sentiment across 5 categories

πŸ“ˆWhere They Rank

πŸ’¬What Redditors Actually Say

What Redditors Say

Best praise vs top criticism for HiFiMan Arya

Best Praise
+42 pts
β€œThat is a true bargain. You can swap the soft part of the suspension headband if it is worn (I changed it to an aftermarket HE-1000 style suede).Β  Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin pads feel great and tame the treble peak somewhat.Β  I generally don’t use eq but Oratory1990 have good presets for peq. Arya takes eq extremely well and you can add much more bass than you’ll ever want. ”
r/headphones
View
Top Criticism
+27 pts
β€œThis isn't Amazon's issue by the way, it's Hifiman. So many instances of them packaging the wrong version of a headphone in the box. They have so many "refurbished" and "open box" items in their warehouse, I'm convinced they often package those up as new and sometimes make mistakes. It's really unacceptable, and this is in addition to their lackluster QC. I feel like it's a total crapshoot when you order a Hifiman headphone whether you'll 1) get the right headphone in the box and 2) whether it will have QC issues.”
r/headphones
View
3 more quotes available below

What Redditors Say

Best praise vs top criticism for Sennheiser HD 800 S

Best Praise
+206 pts
β€œOnly price fixing they did was honouring our $399 HD 800s BestBuy orders πŸ€£β€
r/headphones
View
Top Criticism
+85 pts
β€œIs this the same company who did that 800S abomination posted the other day”
r/headphones
View
3 more quotes available below

πŸ“ˆHistorical Price Data

HiFiMan Arya
Sennheiser HD 800 S
$700$1400$2100$2800Apr '25May '25Jun '25Jul '25Sep '25Oct '25Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Apr '26Low: $599Low: $1499.95Current: $1899
HiFiMan Arya
All-time low: $594.24(2025-12)
Sennheiser HD 800 S
All-time low: $799(2020-07)
$573 below 90-day avg

Which is Better?

HiFiMan Arya Wins
85%
Arya
vs
81%
S

Close race, but HiFiMan Arya edges ahead by 4 points based on 8,668 Reddit opinions.

Why HiFiMan AryaWinner
  • Better Value for Money (82% vs 49%)
Why 800 S
  • 🌌 Legendary soundstage
  • 🎯 Precise imaging
  • More discussed (5,711 vs 2,957)

❀️The Love/Hate Breakdown

Sentiment Breakdown

44%Positive
Positive
44%
Neutral
48%
Negative
8%
Based on 2,957 Reddit opinions

Sentiment Breakdown

41%Positive
Positive
41%
Neutral
50%
Negative
9%
Based on 5,711 Reddit opinions

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, HiFiMan Arya or Sennheiser HD 800 S?
Based on 8,668 Reddit comments, HiFiMan Arya has a slight edge with 85% positive sentiment vs Sennheiser HD 800 S's 81%. The difference is small, so both are solid choices.
Should I buy HiFiMan Arya or Sennheiser HD 800 S?
Both have similar approval ratings (85% vs 81%), so focus on specific features, pricing, and what matters most to you.
What do Redditors love about HiFiMan Arya?
Reddit users highlight: Huge soundstage. Ethereal detail. QC concerns. With 2,957 mentions and 85% approval, it's a well-regarded choice in the community.
What do Redditors say about Sennheiser HD 800 S?
Reddit users highlight: Legendary soundstage. Precise imaging. Treble spike. With 5,711 mentions and 81% approval, it remains a popular alternative.
How many Reddit reviews were analyzed?
This comparison analyzed 8,668 Reddit comments: 2,957 about HiFiMan Arya and 5,711 about Sennheiser HD 800 S. Data was sourced from headphones community discussions.
How accurate are these ratings?
Our sentiment analysis is approximately 80-85% accurate compared to manual review. Well-discussed products with many mentions tend to have more reliable scores than niche items with fewer data points.
Why trust Reddit over professional reviews?
Reddit users bought products with their own money and have no incentive to mislead. You're seeing hundreds of real opinions across different use cases, not just one reviewer's take. This crowdsourced approach surfaces both common praise and recurring complaints.

4,415 Reddit opinions analyzed Β· Last updated 4/16/2026