Hifiman Shangri-La Jr Electrostatic Headphone (Special Order)

A real summit-tier experience

This is my favorite headphone. I've owned this for about 6 months, but from the moment I put it on, I was impressed with its comfort and its sound. Build and comfort-wise, it's a lighter Susvara. It's the same shape as the Susvara, but about 70 grams lighter. The headband produces no hotspots (and I'm quite sensitive to them) while the clamp pressure is firm, but rarely too much. I think it looks better than the Susvara too. At first listen, my reaction was "this is what hi-fi should sound like", at least my ideal of hi-fi. This is a bright headphone, so if you're not into brightness, you might not like it, but the treble is very smooth. Many bright headphones have pronounced peaks in the treble that produce "glare" or harshness in the sound, but they are absent on this one. I've listened to this headphone for hours at a time without getting fatigued by the treble while also enjoying its brightness. Bass is pretty low in quantity and there's a slight drop-off in the sub-bass, but it is very snappy, and snare drums have some kick to them - more than the Stax SR-L700mk2 for example. The bass responds well to EQ, but if you want a more visceral bass experience out of the box, then the Susvara would be a better choice. The midrange is a bit recessed (similar to most Hifimans but unlike most other electrostatic headphones) but with a sharp rise in the upper midrange and lower treble. That makes the sound "breathy" or "splashy", like if vocalists are singing while tightening their throats. It can add to the atmosphere, and I like the effect with some female vocals, but it does make vocals and string instruments sound a bit thin as some of the lower harmonics are overshadowed by the higher harmonics in the treble. It's generally not too offensive, and it can be corrected with EQ pretty easily if you're willing to do that. Detail retrieval is some of the best I've ever heard and a noticeable improvement over the SR-L700mk2, which is no slouch in that department already. Imaging is precise, with good tracking and frontal definition, and the soundstage size and depth are decent as well, and not too far off from something like the HD800S in my opinion. I'm very pleased with the Shangri-La Jr. The comfort and fit are superb. It sounds great, and just as importantly, it's a different take on the electrostatic sound, and it sounds different from the Staxes. I have heard a number of high-end headphones since getting the Jr (Focal Utopia, Meze Elite, Sennheiser HD 800S) and none of them have impressed me to the same degree that the Shangri-La Jr has.