HiFiMAN Shangri-la jr Headphones

Introduction

HiFiMAN's Shangri-la electrostatic headphones offered really nice performance, albeit at a price that almost no audiophile could afford (Click here for my article on the Shangri-la). Well, HiFiMAN took pity on us - here comes junior !

Now, USD 8,000 gets both the headphone and tube based headamp. Compare this with the USD 50,000 price tag of the senior model and this looks "affordable". This is still a lot of money and likely more than what most audiophiles would want to spend. Then again, ultra high-end components do not really look at affordability as a consideration -  the target market is the audiophile who demands the very best and is willing to pay for it. 

AV One (HiFiMAN's official dealer in Singapore) invited me for a private listening session recently. The Shangri-la jr system was paired with the Chord Blu Mk 2 transport and Dave DAC, while cabling was from Chord Co and Isotek. Power conditioning accessories were also courtesy of Isotek.

Description

The system had been happily warmed up for an hour before my arrival, and the extruded aluminium casing of the headamp was noticeably warm. I don't know whether a tube cage is provided, so those with children or pets may want to confirm this with HiFiMAN.

The headamp uses a quartet of 6SN7 tubes - standing tall and proud on the top of the case. Operating the volume knob sets the level at one of the 24 discrete steps, with the LEDs lighting up to indicate the volume level. At the rear, both RCA and XLR inputs are provided. Build quality on the amp was impressive, everything felt good and solid. I do think the top glass is a fingerprint magnet though - get ready for lots of cleaning. 

Moving on to the headphones, these are quite light and comfortable. The strap at the top provides for even pressure and support, while there is moderate clamping force across the ears - these fit me better than the Susvara I reviewed previously. 

Swivelling the headphone cups made some squeaking noises, however in use I could not hear anything despite moving about.

According to official specifications, the headphones weigh 374 grams and have a frequency response of 7 Hz to 120 kHz (no limits stated). The weight is the same as the senior model, but lighter than the Susvara (450 grams) and punishingly heavy headphones like the Audeze LCD2 (490 grams).

Sound Quality

Tonally, these headphones share more similarities than differences compared to the Susvara,(click here for my review on HiFiMAN's Susvara) and would best be described as fairly neutral with a subtly sweet and creamy quality to it's midrange. One noticeable difference though is how soundstage is projected - more on that later on in this post.

Bass quality is excellent, with a tight and tuneful quality. HiFiMAN resisted the urge to boost the bass to give it that hard-hitting overblown quality that some people seem to like. I prefer my bass response to be accurate, so additional marks for HiFiMAN here. 

Vocals are silky smooth with noticeable warmth. Going through my usual test tracks, I did notice that some detail is traded-off for a "nicer" and more easy going presentation. Despite this, the midrange remains quite detailed so a good balance is struck between listenability and information retrieval in my view. 

High frequency reproduction is clean and extended, while sounding natural. The leading edge of instruments are a little bit soft, so if you like your treble to be projected and incisive, the Juniors may not be pleasing to you.

In typical electrostatic fashion, transient speed is great, with the appropriate pacing and attack on fast tracks. Soundstage width is not as expansive as the Susvara, although the Juniors still are able to sound wide with the right recordings.

Conclusion

Susvara or the Juniors ? My vote goes for the Susvara. I did enjoy my limited time with the Juniors though. They have a musical balance which is very easy to listen to, while retaining plenty of detail. Similar to the Susvara, the Juniors are not tuned to grab your attention and impress with sonic fireworks. Instead, it creeps up on you and slowly begin to appreciate their strengths. Overall, I think the Juniors are able to play with the best headphones out there, notwithstanding its junior label.  

HiFiMAN Shangri-la jr HeadphonesUSD 8,000 (Local pricing TBD) with matching headphone amplifier

AV One∫

The Adelphi

1 Coleman Street

#01-10

Tel : +65 6337 0080

Website : http://av1group.com.sg/

HIFIMAN Susvara Headphones

Introduction

HIFIMAN's Susvara headphones have been creating a lot of chatter on the internet - this is definitely a product that polarizes users - Firstly, is it a statement product that lives up to expectations ? Secondly, is the price tag justified ?

Description

Susvara means the world's melodious sounds in Sanskrit. I suppose naming your products after Greek, Norse or Celtic mythology is somewhat passe in audio, so some brownie points to HIFIMAN for being different here.

The Susvara is HIFIMAN's statement magnetic planar headphone, although it is not the company's most expensive (see my earlier coverage on the Shangri-la electrostatic headphone). Sporting stealth magnets and a gold-coated nanometer grade diaphragm, the Susvara was designed as the successor to the HE-6. Similar to the HE-6, the Susvara does not even attempt to be amplifier friendly. A punishingly low sensitivity requires a very powerful headamp to bring out it's best. HIFIMAN does sell a matching headamp (the EF1000), as well as an adapter box to allow you to use your loudspeaker amplifier to drive their headphones.

The product comes in a very large black box, with a hardcover owner's guide (which would be right at home on a coffee table in some luxurious city penthouse). Two cables are provided, one terminated with a 6.3 mm plug, and another with a 4 pin XLR plug. The cable conductors consists of mono-crystal copper and silver. 

Let's have a look at the technical specifications :-

Frequency Response : 6 Hz - 75 kHz
Impedance : 60 ohms
Sensitivity : 83 db (no typo here, although HIFIMAN users would just nod knowingly)
Weight : 450 g

While the Susvara has substantial mass, they proved to be very comfortable in use. I could wear them for hours on end without any issue. As an eyeglass wearer, I did not have any problems with the headband exerting any pressure on my spectacles. Head clamping force is best described as light, perhaps a touch too light - bending forward results in the headphones slipping off.

Build quality is quite good subjectively with everything working as it is, and finished quite nicely. However, as a statement-fi product, it has to be held up against absolute standards. In that respect, build quality could be said to be not good enough for its price tag. My main criticism would be against the headband and the supplied cables. The headband is unlikely to hold up to long term ownership, while the cables have a subtly sticky feel to them and embarrassingly, a plastic Y-joint. Nothing out of place on a USD 600 product, except this one has an extra zero at the end.

Another point to note is that these cans offer almost zero isolation. Yes, they are open backed headphones. However, these are in a class of their own. Not only can you hear environment noise perfectly, you also get to share your music tastes with the whole room. My wife repeatedly criticised my track selection when I was listening to these in her presence. Moral of the story ? You need to enjoy these alone, and in a quiet environment.

My set was brand new and I ran them in for approximately 150 hours before doing any serious evaluation. I did sneak in some listening in between - out of the box, the Susvara is actually quite palatable, they simply improve and open up as they clock-in the hours.  

Sound Quality

Practically speaking, the Susvara needs as much power as you can throw at it. My Antelope Zodiac Platinum DAC was running near flat out. In the end, I used my Audio-Gd C2 class A headphone amp (2.3 W power output into 40 ohms) and my Violectric HPA V281 DAC / headphone amp (4.2 W power output into 50 ohms) for most of my evaluation. Tonally, I preferred the Violectric which sounded more neutral while the Audio-Gd was warmer than I would have preferred. One thing for sure is that the Susvara is transparent to upstream components - each DAC / headamp sounded distinctly different. I preferred these cans connected via balanced cables and used these throughout the review period.

In terms of listening level, both amps ended up with the volume knob around the 12 to 2 o'clock mark. I noticed that I tended to listen to the Susvara louder than my normal levels. Firstly, they sounded very clean, tempting you to pump up the volume. Secondly, they really start coming to life at loud levels. 

Tonally, the Susvara is illuminated in a subtly soft way. It would never be described as bright, nor dark for that matter. My Audeze LCD 2.2 and Sennheiser HD6xx (a Massdrop labelled HD650) are darker, while my Beyer DT880 (250 ohm version) is brighter. 

Bass notes are tight and very well controlled. No bloat or overhang here. The Susvara does not have the bone-crushing qualities of the Audeze - maybe bassheads will find the low frequencies lacking. This is also highly dependent on your headamp. A lack of power will result in loose and weak bass. When I returned the Susvara after my evaluation period, AV One asked me to try the Woo Audio WA33 which was on display. Paired with the Chord Dave DAC, these really packed some wallop into the Susvara. One thing I really liked about the bass quality was its texture - plenty of articulation and not too dry nor wet, just perfect !

Midrange is a bit laidback with a subtly sweet and creamy quality. Voices are very natural sounding and non-fatiguing. It has a very pleasant tone that trades a small amount of detail for smoothness and warmth. There is still plenty going on, and you are unlikely to find the midrange veiled or obviously coloured.

High frequencies on the Susvara were definitely a strong point for me. There is an extended and open quality to the treble, which is both highly detailed and fast. Despite all that detail and speed, it all comes together as naturally airy, light and natural. While transients were crisp, the Susvara avoided that edge and push employed by some of it's competitors - the sort of drive that makes you marvel at the level of "detail" for 2-3 minutes before you get a splitting headache.

I believe in reserving the best for last - soundstaging. The Susvara casts such a wide and open soundstage that you almost forget that you are listening to headphones. The width and spaciousness is really something that needs to be personally experienced. I never thought I would say these for headphones, but they have a degree of separation and dimensionality that you generally associate more with loudspeakers - high praise indeed !

I did not find the Susvara to be biased towards any of my usual genre of music (female vocals, jazz and classical music). That being said, I do not think that it is the natural choice for metal and EDM, or anything else that favours heavy bass and aggressive treble.

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Susvara. They were comfortable to use, were tonally very balanced and sounded really good. The real issue though is the cost of these headphones. A number of visitors to my home had the opportunity to listen to the Susvara and were mostly underwhelmed, especially after finding out the price tag. It would be safe to assume that they expected to be blown away by the sonic experience. Ironically, the Susvara is like that very nice and wholesome girl that is graceful yet understated. She may not be the life of the party, but after getting to know her better, you will understand and appreciate her virtues. Now that she has left my life, I feel quite sad and a little bit empty. Then again, I could not afford to upkeep her and to give her the life she truly deserves (sniff sniff).

Is the Susvara worth it's asking price ? Tough call here. I already get grief from other audiophiles over four digit price tag cables. A pair of headphones that are a sliver away from a five digit price tag (in Singapore dollars) ? The Susvara does offer world class performance. However, only you can decide whether it is worth the cost of ownership. Personally, I think they are definitely worth an audition if you are aiming for the very best headphones bar none.

I would like to thank HIFIMAN and it's Singapore distributor, AV One for arranging this review.

HIFIMAN Susvara
Recommended Retail Price : USD 6,000 or SGD 9,600

AV One
The Adelphi
1, Coleman Street #01-10
Tel : 6337 0080
Website :  http://av1group.com.sg/

Hifiman Shangri-La Private Event at AV One

Introduction

You got to give it to Hifiman. It takes guts to launch a headphone system with a USD 50,000 price tag.

Clearly aimed into Sennheiser Orpheus II territory, the Shangri-La headphone system consists of a fully balanced drive tube amplifier / energizer and a Electrostatic headphone.

AV One, the local dealer for Hifiman arranged a private event to showcase the Shangri-La. Dr. Fang Bian, CEO and founder of Hifiman graced the event and answered any questions posed by the audience.

Description

The Shangri-La headphone amplifier is very large, with four 6SN7 tubes in the input stage, and four 300B tubes in the output stage. The amplifier is designed to offer balanced drive, and the microprocessor controlled volume knob activates a series of relay controlled resistors to set the volume level.

Dr. Fang mentioned that they enjoy a very special relationship with TJ Fullmusic, the tube manufacturer, which is located just a short distance away from them in the Chinese city of Tianjin. A vigorous selection process is employed - only a handful are selected from each batch sent (consisting of a few hundred tubes).

According to Dr. Fang, tube amplifiers are a perfect design for electrostatic headphones due to their high voltage design. Unlike speaker loads, an electrostatic headphone load requires very little current, and an output transformer is not required. 

The driver membrane of the headphones are treated with a nano coating that ensures that performance is not adversely affected by humidity levels (a bane in Singapore with it's tropical humidity). He acknowledged that nano coating is not new, but he felt that the coating employed in the Shangri-La had no adverse effect on the sound, unlike those used by competitors.

I asked Dr. Fang about the cost of the amplifier and headphone. Dr. Fang said that the amplifier cost more to build from a materials point of view. However for Hifiman, the amplifier was relatively easier to design compared to the headphones which required a lot more effort in research and development.

Sound Quality

I spent about 15 minutes alone with the Shangri-La listening to a variety of music that was installed on the supplied notebook computer that was in turned hooked up to a Chord Dave DAC.

The Shangri-La has quite a unique sound signature. It has an immediately recognisable warm and liquid signature. However, it also has a high detailed presentation and very extended top-end. It also has an effortless feel to it, with an easy going sound signature that should make long listening sessions comfortable. Think lightning fast transients with a natural leading edge and decay and that's the Shangri-La for you.

Tonally, it sits somewhere in between the Sennheiser HD600 and 800. Dynamics wise, it is not the most impactful headphone I've heard, but I would say that details wise, it is up there with the best. 

If we disregard the price tag, these are very nice sounding headphones - I could easily live with these. But the price tag on these make these unobtainable for all but a select few. Statement-fi products like the Shangri-La do not follow the usual rules on performance vs cost. They exist simply because they can - there will always be the customer that demands the very best, at any cost.

I asked Dr. Fang whether we could expect any trickle-down products at something mere mortals like myself could afford. He said that something is being planned, and left it at that. Don't keep us waiting too long !

Conclusion

Listening to the Shangri-La was an experience. Let's hope we get a more affordable Shangri-La lite model soon.

Thank you to AV One for inviting me for this exclusive event, and also a big thanks to Dr. Fang of Hifiman for patiently answering my questions.

AV One 
http://av1group.com.sg

Hifiman
http://www.hifiman.com