Наушники — HiFiMAN Shangri-La Jr

The Shangri-La Jr is an open-back electrostatic headphone from HiFiMAN, developed as a more attainable relative of the company's full Shangri-La system. It shares similar technology with that model but uses a smaller, circular diaphragm in place of the oval element of the larger design. HiFiMAN sells it both on its own, at GBP 3,599 in the UK, and as a complete system with a matching valve energiser, which was priced at USD 8,000 in the US.

Key specs that matter

A single full-range electrostatic driver is used, with a diaphragm just 0.001 mm thick. HiFiMAN specifies a frequency response of 7 Hz to 120 kHz and a bias voltage between 550 V and 650 V. The headphone weighs 374 g. It terminates in a five-pin plug compatible with STAX electrostatic amplifiers, and it arrives with a storage case and a product booklet.

Engineering and use context

HiFiMAN coats the diaphragm with nano-particle material and pairs it with ultra-thin metal mesh stators held in frames of a special alloy. The strands of the mesh grating are only 50 micrometres wide, and the company states that this lets sound waves below one million hertz pass through, so the stator places practically no acoustic obstacle in the path of the output. Dust covers of nanometre thickness protect the element without adding meaningful mass or obstruction in front of it. Because electrostatic drivers cannot run from an ordinary headphone socket, the Jr always requires a dedicated energiser that supplies both the bias voltage and a high-voltage drive signal.

Pairing

The matching HiFiMAN amplifier offered in the system uses four hand-matched 6SN7 valves in its input stage, followed by a hybrid Class A output section. Volume is set by a discrete 24-step attenuator, and a rear switch selects between balanced three-pin XLR and single-ended RCA inputs. The front panel carries two five-pin electrostatic outputs, so two compatible headphones can be connected. The chassis measures 400 x 265 x 108 mm and weighs 11 kg, compact enough for a desk, and bought separately it costs USD 5,000 or GBP 4,399. As an alternative, the headphone works with any STAX-compatible five-pin energiser, so HiFiMAN's own unit is not mandatory for owners who already have an energiser.

Alternatives

HiFiMAN's full Shangri-La is the larger electrostatic headphone system, with a more ambitious amplifier that places the complete package above USD 50,000.