u/Severe-Sir2543

I'm 29 and a half and I've only ever had one proper relationship. It lasted about 4 months, but I was genuinely on the verge of falling in love with her. We got on really well and were very compatible, but she didn't want kids and I do, so unfortunately that was a dealbreaker.

I am not inexperienced with women. I have slept with 20+ women. I've had one night stands, FWB, slept with attractive women, older women etc. I was honestly a bit of a whore in my early 20s. But most of that was very transactional and I never really learned how to build a romantic connection with someone. I grew up with two brothers, dad and my mum, and didn't have my first relationship until 25, so I don't think I ever really learned how to be romantic/flirty. I learned how to sleep with women before I learned how to actually date them. That being said, all those sexual encounrters bar 1 were from dating apps. I have only picked up one women from a bar in my life.

Looks-wise I'm probably reasonably attractive. I'm 177cm, pretty built and well above average in terms of physique/aesthetics. I'm around 20% body fat at the moment though and probably need to lose 7-8kg before I'd feel completely confident in how I look.

I'm probably an introverted extrovert. On dates I tend to just talk to the woman normally, get to know her and see if we get along. If there's a vibe, I'll gradually become more flirty. That's how it happened with my ex and it felt very natural.

But I recently went to a matchmaking/speed dating event with one of my mates and it made me question whether I'm doing something wrong. He's extremely extroverted and naturally flirty. He'll just walk up to women and start chatting to them, and his first dates usually last hours. One girl mentioned that Kinder Bueno was her favourite chocolate, so during their date he randomly took her to 7-Eleven and bought her one. He's just really good at creating that romantic/sexual vibe. At the event, I had one date that was basically platonic. That being said, he does not do well on dating apps, and hardly uses them. Another I thought went pretty well — we were flirting a bit and there was some touching — but afterwards she didn't even accept my Instagram request.

I also went on a Hinge date with a Peruvian girl recently. The first half hour was pretty platonic and I wasn't massively attracted to her, but eventually we started getting more playful and she actually asked me out again. We went to an art gallery the next day. I was pretty nervous because I hadn't been on a date in over a year, and after about half an hour I started trying to get a bit closer and more physical. She kept pulling away and eventually ended the date after about an hour, saying she didn't feel anything. I'm starting to wonder if I need to actually learn how to flirt and create attraction rather than just hoping it happens naturally.

I've also moved from NZ (Auckland) to Australia (Melbourne) about 18 months ago, so I don't really have the same social circle I had back home. One of my mates started salsa dancing and met a couple of women through it, which makes me think maybe I need to get out and actually meet more people. Although I have absolutely no desire to dance salsa.

Do I need to change the way I date and become more flirty/proactive, or am I overthinking this and just need to meet more women and let things happen naturally? It is starting to get me down as I swear all of my mates are in relationships and have had a few lasting a year or more, not 4 months. I know comparison is the thief of joy, but damn as I get older it is really hard to not let affect me.

I don't want to become some fake pickup artist. I genuinely want a proper relationship. I just feel like I've had plenty of sexual experience but almost no romantic experience, and I'm not sure how much of a disadvantage that actually is.

I've gone pretty far down the HiFiMAN rabbit hole at this point. I've owned the Edition XS, Edition XV, and currently have the Arya Stealth. I've also spent time listening to the Arya Organic, Ananda Nano, HE1000 Stealth, and Arya Unveiled.

For context, I absolutely loved the Edition XV tuning out of the box. It just sounded musical to me. When I moved to the Arya Stealth, the biggest thing I noticed was the jump in resolution and detail retrieval. It felt like a clear technical upgrade over the XV.

The thing that's got me stuck is the Arya Organic.

When I A/B'd the Stealth and Organic, they sounded very close to me. The main differences I noticed were that the Organic had a bit more bass presence and a bit more energy up top. Beyond that, I struggled to hear a massive difference. That's what makes me wonder whether the Organic is really worth the extra money, especially when a lot of people say you can EQ the Stealth to get pretty close.

What's confusing me is how split opinions seem to be online. Some people say the Organic is barely different and absolutely not worth upgrading from the Stealth. Others say it's noticeably more spacious, more musical, warmer, and just a better overall listening experience. I did really enjoy the musicality of the Edition XV, but then its not as resolving as the Stealth or Organic, and when I went back to the XV it sounded less clear and more mushed together.

One thing I've noticed with the Arya Stealth is that some tracks sound absolutely incredible. Like genuinely endgame-level good. But then other tracks can sound a little thin or dry to me. Not bad, just a bit lean. I'm not sure whether that's the headphone, the recording, or me getting inside my own head after reading too many reviews.

Financially, I'd have to return/sell my Arya Stealth to make the move. The cheapest I've seen the Organic is around $600-700 USD on sale, but right now it's closer to $900+ USD where I am.

Part of me is thinking I should just keep the Stealth, enjoy it, and stop reading forums. The other part of me is wondering if the Organic is that little bit more engaging and if I'd regret not making the switch. My bigger concern is that if I buy the Organic, I'll just start looking at the HE1000 Stealth next and keep moving further down the rabbit hole.

For those who've owned both, did the Organic end up being a meaningful upgrade for you, or is the Arya Stealth already close enough that it's not worth the hassle and extra money?

I've gone pretty far down the HiFiMAN rabbit hole at this point. I've owned the Edition XS, Edition XV, and currently have the Arya Stealth. I've also spent time listening to the Arya Organic, Ananda Nano, HE1000 Stealth, and Arya Unveiled.

For context, I absolutely loved the Edition XV tuning out of the box. It just sounded musical to me. When I moved to the Arya Stealth, the biggest thing I noticed was the jump in resolution and detail retrieval. It felt like a clear technical upgrade over the XV.

The thing that's got me stuck is the Arya Organic.

When I A/B'd the Stealth and Organic, they sounded very close to me. The main differences I noticed were that the Organic had a bit more bass presence and a bit more energy up top. Beyond that, I struggled to hear a massive difference. That's what makes me wonder whether the Organic is really worth the extra money, especially when a lot of people say you can EQ the Stealth to get pretty close.

What's confusing me is how split opinions seem to be online. Some people say the Organic is barely different and absolutely not worth upgrading from the Stealth. Others say it's noticeably more spacious, more musical, warmer, and just a better overall listening experience. I did really enjoy the musicality of the Edition XV, but then its not as resolving as the Stealth or Organic, and when I went back to the XV it sounded less clear and more mushed together.

One thing I've noticed with the Arya Stealth is that some tracks sound absolutely incredible. Like genuinely endgame-level good. But then other tracks can sound a little thin or dry to me. Not bad, just a bit lean. I'm not sure whether that's the headphone, the recording, or me getting inside my own head after reading too many reviews.

Financially, I'd have to return/sell my Arya Stealth to make the move. The cheapest I've seen the Organic is around $600-700 USD on sale, but right now it's closer to $900+ USD where I am.

Part of me is thinking I should just keep the Stealth, enjoy it, and stop reading forums. The other part of me is wondering if the Organic is that little bit more engaging and if I'd regret not making the switch. My bigger concern is that if I buy the Organic, I'll just start looking at the HE1000 Stealth next and keep moving further down the rabbit hole.

For those who've owned both, did the Organic end up being a meaningful upgrade for you, or is the Arya Stealth already close enough that it's not worth the hassle and extra money?

Hey all, long-time lurker here. I've been running the Edition XV as my main for a while now and I love what it does — warm, musical, great note weight, non-fatiguing treble.

Thinking about stepping up and narrowing it down to these three. Happy to EQ, so I'm more interested in the technical ceiling and the tuning character.

I have the Ifi zendac 3 zencan 3 stack

Out of these 3, what would you choose?

Hey all, long-time lurker here. I've been running the Edition XV as my main for a while now and I love what it does — warm, musical, great note weight, non-fatiguing treble.

Thinking about stepping up and narrowing it down to these three. Happy to EQ, so I'm more interested in the technical ceiling and the tuning character.

I have the Ifi zendac 3 zencan 3 stack

Out of these 3, what would you choose?