This year T.H.E. Show 2024 held two great surprises for me, one was the HIFIMAN SUSVARA UNVEILED Planar Magnetic Headphone which I recently reviewed, the other being the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone System, and I was extremely lucky to be chosen to review both.

Regular readers will know that I am a huge fan of Electrostatic Headphones (Electrostatic speakers in general) as I feel that pound for pound (in this case literally) and dollar for dollar they have the potential to give the most accurate sound reproduction due to the extreme low mass of their diaphragm assembly (diaphragm + voice coil) and the fact that energy is evenly distributed across the diaphragm minimizing distortion while maximizing acceleration and deceleration (this is reflected in the Mini Shangri-La’s 7Hz-90kHz frequency response).  In fact, the only downside of Electrostatic drivers is their limited excursion which limits their dynamic range plus the need for a special amplifier (a bias voltage is needed to charge the stators and create the electrostatic field). Of course, in the case of the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone System, the special amplifier is included limiting that drawback.

The HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone

HIFIMAN is not the only company in the inexpensive Electrostatic Headphone market, but what sets the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone apart from the competition is their nanometer thickness diaphragm with its nano-particle coating and nonometer-thick dust cover which are similar to those used in the $50,000 HIFIMAN Shangri-La.

The bullet points from HIFIMAN are as follows:

• The diaphragm features a nano-particle coating for enhanced high-frequency response and superb musical reproduction characteristics.

• The soundstage is deep and expansive compared to traditional “moving coil” headphones.

• A single crystal copper wire with gold-plated plug for lossless signal transmission.

• A nanometer-thick dust cover helps prevent dust and other pollutants from causing excessive distortion.

• Housing is comprised of ABS and a steel frame made from a stainless-steel honeycomb mesh for the anode casing. The Honeycomb mesh protects the headphone from airflow vibrations, assuring that the sound reduction remains true and accurate.

In appearance, it has ear-shaped ear cups similar to its bigger brother and the headband appears to be the same as on the HIFIMAN Deva Pro (it is also used on the HE-R10 Headphones as well as several other models) which remains as one of my favorite daily-use headphones, so it is comfortable and can take a beating. What I believe is the above-mentioned dust cover, which can be seen through the black stainless-steel honeycomb mesh, is iridescent and appears to be either green or purple depending on the light and angle. The earpads (leatherette with cloth faces) and headband are black, while the hard components are silver, and the cable has a very sturdy looking black nylon mesh jacket.

The HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Amplifier

The HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Amplifier is a fully balanced, dual mono, discrete Cascode MOSFET with a discrete component power supply.

Again the bullet points from HIFIMAN are as follows:

• Operational amplifier and a hybrid discrete component design.

• Discrete Cascode MOSFET transistor powers the balanced output amplification.

• High voltage power supply uses an independent power supply regulator.

• PCB layout optimization, reduces interference hum, allowing for a more transparent sound.

• XLR balanced and RCA inputs.

• Equipped with two headphone output jacks.

• A 21-level Volume Control to allow for precision volume control.

• AC 115V / 230V power selector.

The faceplate is brushed aluminum with a black insert, two large aluminum knobs sit on either side of the two Electrostatic Headphone jacks, the left switches between single-ended (RCA) and balanced (3-pin XLR) inputs and the right adjusts volume. The case is black metal with aluminum isolation feet. And on the back, you will find a pair of RCA inputs next to the pair of XLR inputs opposite the power connection and toggle switch.

Living with the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone System

About two weeks after I received the HIFIMAN SUSVARA UNVEILED Planar Magnetic Headphone the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone System arrived in a large master carton which I opened immediately to find two smaller boxes, one for the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone, and the other housing the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Amplifier. First order of business was to connect the amplifier to my Core Power Technologies A/V Equi=Core 1000 and HIFIMAN EF600 R2R DAC & Headphone Amplifier via the balanced DAC outputs using Black Dragon Cables and, after plugging in the headphone, I cued up my Qobuz “equipment break-in” playlist and set it to run my accustomed 100 hours while I worked on other reviews.  The first thing I noticed before even opening the box was how lightweight the headphone was, by far the lightest over-ear headphone in my extensive collection. During my burn-in period, it became clear that the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Amplifier runs a bit on the warm side, which is actually normal for MOSFET amplifiers, but you probably don’t want to set your DAC or Headphone Stand on top as this might cause premature aging.

I began my serious listening tests with Pat Metheny’s new album “MoonDial” (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz) which features a series of solo guitar pieces performed on a custom baritone acoustic guitar made specially for him by luthier Linda Manzer. The sound was completely jaw-dropping, with exceptional bottom end and excellent dynamic range, producing quite loud volumes with only a third of the available volume.  Two-thirds volume would probably exceed what I could comfortably withstand, and I like my music at live performance volumes. The timbre of the guitar was soul-wrenching in an expansive soundstage, with unbelievable musicality.

Talking about live music my next choice was Blur “Live at Wembley Stadium” (24-bit/44.1kHz – Qobuz) and it was section A all the way, with crisp edgy guitar, deep rich vocal, powerful bass, impactful percussion, B3 organ, and again a massive soundstage.

One more experimental selection before moving on to my regular test tracks, “Made by These Moments” by the Red Clay Strays (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz) who offered up ‘70s style Lynard Skynyrd like southern rock with modern production qualities. It was hard to believe that this was a studio recording and not a live performance at a huge outdoor stadium.

Given the 7Hz sub-bass frequency response I put on “Can-utility And The Coastliners” (“Foxtrot” – Genesis – DSD), while not as resonant as I was expecting the sub-bass was definitely there in spades, and the overall tonal balance was incredibly neutral lacking any hot spots. The clarity and detail were epic and Peter’s normally overly intimate vocal was placed in a realistic soundstage planting him about ten feet from the listener, with the guitars slightly in front and the bass and percussion slightly behind.

Listening to Satchmo sing “What A Wonderful World” (“What A Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong – 24-bit/192kHz) you could easily place each musician in space with the acoustic guitar up close on the right with vibes and glockenspiel slightly behind, vibes on the left, glock on the right, and the orchestra and choir behind that, all in a large empty hall.

While the Mini Shangri-La brought out the vinyl noises on my 24-bit/96kHz vinyl rip of Stravinsky’s “The Firebird Suite” as performed by Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (“Stravinsky: The Firebird; Borodin: Music from Prince Igor”) it was not as bad as I feared and the musicality of the playback made it well worth enduring, the timbre of instruments being exemplary with each musician solidly placed in a massive soundstage. Unbelievably, the dynamic range of the Mini Shangri-La had no problem keeping up with the crescendos, neither compressing nor bottoming out bringing out all the excitement and majesty of this masterpiece.

My last track was Peter Gabriel’s “Family Snapshot” from his third self-titled album (DSD), like all my previous experiences the soundstage was massive, the percussion was crisp and sharp with a solid feel, and the musicality was ever present without sanding off the edges.

Just for fun I plugged in my Audeze CRBN Electrostatic Headphones to the Mini Shangri-La Amplifier and relistened to the above track and was completely floored at what an accomplishment the Mini Shangri-La Headphone is, not only was it lighter and more comfortable than the CRBN, though the CRBN did provide better isolation, the uncolored linearity of the Mini Shangri-La put the CRBN to shame making the CRBN sound mid-range heavy.

Conclusions on the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone System

HIFIMAN has really outdone themselves with the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone System. It ticks off all of the boxes, linear, dynamic, musical, fast, light, comfortable, and detailed, it is simply the best value in an over-the-ear headphone system I have come across, the Woo Audio WA7e DAC/Tube Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier / STAX SR-L300 Limited Electrostatic Earspeakers system I reviewed last year being the only thing that has come close and that was with a limited edition headphone that the equivalent current model sells for twice as much and doesn’t quite reach the HIFIMAN in either build quality or sound. If I had a budget of $2,500 and could only have one headphone system the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La would top my short list.

The HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Amplifier reminds me why MOSFET has always been all the rage among solid-state audiophiles, the musicality and dynamics are to die for. And the Mini Shangri-La Headphone is simply one of the best, comparable to headphones that cost twice as much as the whole system. To put it in a sentence, the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone System is now my favorite headphone due to its unparalleled combination of sound, comfort, and value.

$2300