That change also helps modern music quite a bit. Let’s talk The Weeknd “After Hours”. I’m not gonna talk about the pure awesomeness of this album, as I believe everyone knows what I’m talking about. Similar to Ananda BT, this module is equipped with the latest wireless technologies. You can utilize all of the widely-known aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC codecs. I used LDAC directly from my phone for this review. Once again, Hifiman uses its Ultra-Thin Diaphragm inside for the lowest distortion, fast response, and high level of detail.

Having around the house headphones that are wireless is MASSIVELY convenient”– maybe, but the sound is compromised this way, and I see no reason why I should compromise when I am at the comfort of my home. And again – I don’t get why pointing out that the clamp is too low for physical activities is an issue. You may not care, but some other might. Unfortunately I don’t have the first-generation Deva any more, but from what I remember (and from my description in the review) it was much brighter than the Pro version. I won’t make any further comment as memory is fallible and not reliable enough (echoic memory lasting only a few seconds etc). Final Thoughts So, we’re basically getting a “big boy” quality of the treble in every aspect possible, those stealth magnets are making wonders.Articulation is fine and the timbre is mostly natural but upper mids may sound with lesser intensity although nothing too noticeable while listening to music. During my testing I have tried 3 DACs and 3 AMPs and I can say with confidence that it is affected by source more than for example, the 6XX, 58X & 660S. The DEVA even reflects Geshelli Archel 2.5 Pro’s hints of warmth in its signature. If you go ahead and plug JDS Atom Amp, it gets more analytical. We will talk more about synergy and pairings but the main reason I am uttering these words is to emphasize DEVA’s ability to reflect.

As we get into the mids, the transition from the bass area is excellent, with not a hint of anything becoming stressed or muddy. As we reach into the higher part of the mids, the Deva Pro are just a touch more forwards than other Hifiman options, with a bit of a boots around the 1kHz region. The typical Hifiman dip around 2kHz is still there and this little extra around 1kHz does make it a little more obvious. This doesn’t sound bad, far from it, but it is certainly not as balanced as other models. I feel that the HE400se is actually a little better in this area. As is typical of HIFIMAN, build is a mix of metal and plastic. Cup is made of plastic, but the grill and the “cup holder” thingy are all metal. No “wrong” moving part, whatsoever. Susvara is the king, with absolutely incredible technical performance, coupled with a transparent, musical delivery, that’s both revealing and easy to listen to. In terms of the build and design, the Susvara stands head and shoulders above the rest of HIFIMAN’s lineup with a sleek design featuring aluminum, leather, and wood veneer. They’re also quite comfortable with more moderately sized earcups than the HE1000 series. However, we are not just comparing sound, there are so many other things that fit into the equation. Where the HE400se are a simple set of headphones, the Deva Pro comes bundled with the Bluemini R2R. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities, giving them not only the possibility of being used as a bluetooth headphone (along with a mic for calls), they can also be used via USB, all while featuring a Himalaya R2R architecture DAC. Apart from the manual and some papers, there’s also the Bluemini R2R module sitting in the box, and it is one of two big updates compared to the original Deva, but more on this later.

Conclusion​

The Himalaya is rather neutral, faithful to the original source and does not run some kind of DSP to specifically match the Deva Pro. The Bluemini R2R also allows you to output digital audio directly into the Deva Pro via its USB-DAC functionality. This can apply to a wide range of digital audio-compatible devices such as PC, Mac, and OTG via Android. That signal will be decoded by the onboard DAC and converted into an analog signal for passing onto the amp chipset. Coming to headphones, Lovely one which sits great on my head with kind of tightness which i do like. The Pleather pads feels cool and lush though. Though the Burn in of Headphone phenomenon is true or not, anyways i gave an 30+ hours of burn before i dwell much into sound and more listening. This is also why it didn’t surprise me that the onboard microphone does a bad job at capturing the voice: it was added for convenience, not to be the best in class. Nonetheless, I think that if you include a feature on a product you have to make it work right, otherwise it’s best if you don’t include it at all (right, Cayin?).

Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 26th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) I have been working from home for more than a decade, so I am used to looking for comfortable headphones that have large ear cups, fit for a large head, and with Pads that won't make you sweat during a 60-minute call. Not basshead kind of bass response, but overall very fun sounding kind of bass with sufficient quantity and good quality Conversion duties are done via the HIMALAYA R2R resistor-based chipset in NOS mode. Decoding is from aptX, aptX HD right up to LDAC 24BIT/96kHz with support for AAC and SBC.

Packaging & Accessories

There is a strange volume limit and you can't get the full available range as you can do when it is connected to a PC or in Bluetooth mode. What I really don’t like is how my unit manages low-battery situations: it just turns off with no warning at all. One moment you’re listening to music, the next it’s silent and you’re left to wonder what’s happened. One time it happened to me that the device turned off, so I turned it on again and at that point the device gave me a “low battery, please charge” warning… only to shut down immediately after. One thing I seriously hate about the Bluemini R2R is that the status messages are way too damn loud. I can have the headphones on the other side of the room and still hear the tones or messages being played (e.g. “connected”). If I forget about this and power on the headphones when I have already worn them, I receive an ear-piercing reminder that I shouldn’t have when I turn them on. This is really infuriating as it is such a basic aspect of the user experience it’s incredible they didn’t think of this. Rather, the magnets have a different physical shape and composition to allow sound waves to pass through from one side to another without creating any “interferences” such as wave diffraction turbulence and lowering distortion in the process. In a way they are being touted as being almost invisible acoustically, hence the term stealth. Bluemini R2R