HifiMan recently released an updated version of its Deva headphone, the Deva Pro. This new version of their popular open-back model features Stealth Magnets, a recent innovation that is rapidly gaining traction in the headphone world. The benefits of these magnets is explained in various ways with each model I’ve seen them used on, but overall, I’m becoming fond of the "Stealth" era we're entering. Running for $329, $110 more than the original, let’s check out the Deva Pro and see how it compares to its predecessor, along with how it stands on its own.

What's in the Box

• Bluemini R2R Bluetooth Adapter

• 3.5mm balanced cable

• 1/4" Adapter

• USB-C Charging Cable

Look and Feel

The Deva Pro has a nearly identical build to the original Deva, but sports black leather material on the headband and ear pads instead of tan. This leather material on the new Deva Pro does feel a bit softer than the original, but it’s not a difference you’re likely to feel while wearing them. The Deva Pro’s build feels reminiscent of HifiMan’s HE400se, with an overall generic look that sports sturdy construction and subtle styling. Their fit has a light clamp to it, making them an easy headphone to wear subconsciously.

Design

This is an open-back, planar magnetic headphone that can be used with the included wire, or as a wireless unit with the included Bluemini R2R, which offers 8 hours of battery life. The addition of Stealth Magnets to the Pro version is meant to allow sound waves to pass through without generating interference, avoiding diffraction turbulence that degrades their integrity.

These have a frequency response of 20Hz - 20kHz and impedance of 18 Ohms

Soundstage

The difference between the Deva Pro’s soundstage to its original version felt similar to that between HifiMan's Arya and Arya Stealth. It’s not necessarily less wide, but it is reformatted, separating the spread elements from the center a bit more instead of adding width across all elements. The Deva has a sense of space you can feel and experience, it creates depth that allows compositions to flourish and breathe. For the price, the imaging on these definitely hit the mark for me.

Lows

The Deva Pro have a fairly similar low end to the original Deva, and their differences felt like what I've seen with many “Pro” headphone upgrades. They Deva Pro has a tighter handling and much more control than the original. The Pro is a natural sounding headphone at large, meaning it must keep its low end at bay for the sake of realism and balance, and it does this quite well. A fair amount of impact is added to ensure the body of the lows remains and that their character is translated, but sub frequencies and overall rumble are very subtle.

Mids

The Deva Pro hits such a wonderful sweet spot in the mid range for me. I’m very picky about my mids, and prefer them on the subdued side. However, at the end of the day, I do want presence. The Deva Pro pushes the mids, specifically the high mids, forward a bit. Yet, despite this clear boost, they strike a balance between bite and control. I never felt harshness from the Deva Pro, even at higher volumes. This approachable mid range is also partially due to the very clean timbre in this area, which seems to a bit more purified and perfected compared to that of the original Deva, which I occasionally felt could use some taming.

Highs

The highs on these are on the brighter side, but they have a delicate shine to them and an overall successful cleanliness. The Deva Pro is definitely a bit brighter in the “super highs” than the original Deva, giving it a more pristine, clear, detail driven feel. The Pro's highs may be their biggest improvement, in fact. I found the treble felt very organic, giving a glossy but still believable sound to music. If you want a very realistic, bright, and exciting high end, this headphone knows exactly what it’s doing,

Overall

The Deva Pro is an impressive, highly capable headphone that far outdoes its price point. This new version will impress even those that own or have used the original Deva, as it fine tunes an already successful concept. For the price range, it’s stiff competition for those up against it, and is sure to stick around for quite some time.

You can purchase the HifiMan Deva Pro here.