As an audiophile, I have had the pleasure of testing numerous high-end headphones over the years. I recently got my hands on the Hifiman Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphones and I must say that they have made quite an impression on me. These headphones, along with their dedicated amplifier, promise to deliver an exceptional listening experience. With the new release of the Susvara Unveiled, these may be a legitimate alternative without the $8000 price tag. Let me tell you about my journey with this electrostatic wonder.
Design and Comfort
The Mini Shangri-La adopts the Hifiman Edition XS over-ear design, which immediately caught my eye. Weighing just 320g, these headphones are incredibly lightweight and easy to wear. I was able to enjoy extended listening sessions without any discomfort thanks to their ultra-lightweight construction.
The ear cushions deserve a special mention. They’re soft and fit similarly to those on the Edition XS, providing a comfortable seal around the ears. However, I couldn’t help but compare them to the suspended headband design of the HE1000 and Jade II, which I personally find more comfortable. While the Mini Shangri-La are certainly nice to wear, I feel that for the $1100 price tag, Hifiman could have used higher quality materials to improve both comfort and durability.
That said, these headphones do feel more durable than STAX’s budget models. Build quality is decent, but I expected a bit more sturdiness for the price. At the same time, it’s a take-what-you-can-get situation, considering these are $1,100 electrostatic headphones. It’s a minor complaint in an otherwise well-designed package.
Electrostatic technology
The Mini Shangri-La employ electrostatic driver technology, known for its incredibly thin diaphragms and unique sound characteristics. Typically, electrostatic headphones offer lightweight construction, a uniform sound timbre, a bright and airy extension in the upper treble range, and sensitivity to changes in temperature and humidity.
HiFi has incorporated a nano-layer of protection into these earphones, which serves two key functions. First, it protects the ultra-thin drivers from dust and moisture, solving a common problem with electrostatic technology. Second, it improves conductivity, potentially improving the overall performance of the drivers.
The frequency response of these headphones is truly impressive, ranging from 7 Hz to 90 kHz. This extended range promises to capture every nuance of your music, from the deepest bass to the lightest treble.
Shangri-La mini amplifier
While you can buy the Mini Shangri-La headphones separately, I tested them with their dedicated electrostatic amplifier system, along with the Hifiman EF500 in DAC mode. This setup really brings out the best in these headphones.
The amplifier features an efficient design where the Mini Shangri-La voltage is sent directly from the power output transistors. This results in a clean and uncluttered signal path, which I find crucial to maintaining the purity of the Electrostatic sound.
The amplifier features two electrostatic outputs, allowing you to connect multiple electrostatic headphones if desired. It also offers RCA and XLR inputs, providing flexibility for connecting multiple source components.
Sound scene and image
Hifiman has built a reputation for delivering an immersive, wide soundstage, and the Mini Shangri-La take it a step further. Electrostatic drivers create a sense of space that is both expansive and precise. I was able to easily identify the placement of instruments within the soundstage thanks to the headphones’ precise imaging capabilities.
The width of the soundstage is really palpable, and reverb-heavy sounds are conveyed with fantastic clarity. I was particularly impressed with how easy it was to identify the directionality of sounds, a quality that often eludes headphones in this price range.
The tall electrostatic drivers contribute to an engaging and fun listening experience. They create a unique soundstage that feels more accurate than most high-end planar magnetic headphones I’ve tested. It’s clear that Hifiman has put its experience in creating spacious soundstages to good use with the Mini Shangri-La.
Low
Electrostatic headphones aren’t typically known for their bass performance, but the Mini Shangri-La surprised me in this regard. The bass is palpable and present, with an incredibly punchy and textured quality. I could hear all the harmonics of the lower frequencies, giving bass sounds a punchy presence that I wasn’t expecting from electrostatic technology.
While the sub-bass doesn't have a huge punch, there is fantastic depth in the high-mids/bass and lower mids. These frequencies work together to support the bass sounds, giving them a unique, punchy character.
I tested the bass response with Beast from the East's “Spite For Your Life” and was impressed with how the bass and guitar sounds were full of attack and harsh growl. The Mini Shangri-La managed to make these aggressive sounds easy to listen to while still maintaining their full, airy character.
For those who like to tweak the sound, I found that a little EQ via the DAC or source can make these headphones come alive in the bass department. I experimented with slightly boosting the sub-bass and reducing the low mids to balance out the sound while maintaining the character of the mids.
Media
While electrostatic headphones are often synonymous with treble performance, I actually found the mids to be the most prominent feature of the Mini Shangri-La’s sound signature. There’s a slight boost in the lower mids, along with a natural roll-off between 1.5kHz and 2.5kHz. This tuning interacts seamlessly with the airy, fully extended highs and the fullness of the lower mids and upper bass.
Textures in the midrange, particularly with keyboards and vocals, sound natural and exciting. I was able to easily discern microharmonics, and recordings with detailed nuances were accurately represented. Vocals, in particular, have a great character that is more accurate than almost every headphone I've tested in this price range.
Triple
The Mini Shangri-La’s treble performance is airy and full of life, but manages to avoid the common problem of excessive brightness that some electrostatic headphones fall into. Unlike other electrostatic models, these don’t go overboard in the treble region. Instead, they offer incredibly reasonable brightness and attack to sounds.
The overall treble response is relatively flat, with no huge boost in any particular frequency range. This balanced approach adds a lovely quality to the dynamics. I found that volume changes were fully displayed and timbre differences were captured perfectly across the extended treble range.
One of the benefits of listening with these headphones is that they reveal the details in high-resolution audio files. The Mini Shangri-La’s treble performance showcases these nuances to their fullest, making for a truly captivating listening experience with well-recorded tracks.
General sound signature
What surprises me most about the Mini Shangri-La is their balanced and natural sound. While they have the typical characteristics of electrostatic headphones (lightweight, with an even sound timbre and an airy treble extension), they manage to avoid the usual problems of this technology.
The bass is more present and impactful than I expected, the mids are perfectly balanced and detailed, and the highs extend effortlessly without becoming harsh or fatiguing. This creates a coherent and enjoyable listening experience across a wide range of musical genres. Overall, its tuning and soundstage are reminiscent of the new Susvara Unveiled, with the main difference being the width of the soundstage. If you’re a fan of that sound but can’t afford its $8,000 price tag, this one does a better job emulating them than headphones like the Focal Utopia, Final D8000, and Audeze LCD-5.
Conclusion
The Hifiman Mini Shangri-La electrostatic headphones, combined with their dedicated amplifier, offer an attractive entry point into the world of electrostatic audio. They manage to capture many of the benefits of this technology – incredible detail, wide soundstage and airy highs – while mitigating some of the typical drawbacks, such as weak bass response.
While I do have some minor complaints about build quality and comfort compared to other options in this price range, the sound quality more than makes up for these shortcomings. The Mini Shangri-La delivers a listening experience that surpasses that of other, much more expensive electrostatic systems.
For audiophiles looking to explore electrostatic technology without spending a fortune on high-end systems, the Mini Shangri-La presents an attractive option. It offers a taste of what makes electrostatic headphones special, at a more accessible price point and easier to drive than some of its more esoteric cousins. While $2,300 doesn't seem like a bargain to most, these headphones can outperform many competitors in the $4,000 to $5,000 range.
Whether you’re a long-time electrostatic enthusiast or a curious audiophile looking to broaden your horizons, the Hifiman Mini Shangri-La are worth a serious audition. Just be warned: once you experience the wide soundstage, detailed mids, and airy highs of these headphones, you might find it hard to go back to conventional designs.
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