HiFiMAN Mini Shangri-La

HiFiMAN Mini Shangri-La

The HiFiMAN Mini Shangri-La is a direct descendant of the original Shangri-La, which was introduced in 2016 and succeeded in 2018 by the Shangri-La Jr. The new Mini Shangri-La is a high-end desktop system that features an electrostatic headphone and amplifier.

Electrostatic system

The Mini Shangri-La headphones feature an electrostatic driver design. The basic principle of this technology is to place a static electric charge on a diaphragm suspended between two perforated metal plates. When an electrical voltage is applied to the plates, the attraction and repulsion of the static electricity causes the diaphragm to vibrate without direct physical contact. The advantage of this system is that the diaphragm produces a perfectly uniform sound signal, greatly reducing sound diffraction and thus allowing for sound reproduction of astonishing fidelity. It should be noted, however, that electrostatic headphones require a special amplifier due to the voltage of several hundred volts required to make them work.

HiFiMAN Mini Shangri-La: A nanometric diaphragm

HiFiMAN’s Mini Shangri-La headphones feature a diaphragm that is just a few nanometers thin. This technical feature extends the bandwidth beyond the audible spectrum (7Hz to 90,000Hz), expanding the bandwidth to reveal the last primal octaves of your favorite recordings, revealing a wealth of previously unknown details. A nanoparticle coating on the headphones’ diaphragm ensures precise conduction and stability, even in different temperatures and environments, with a deep and expansive soundstage.

There are two types of protection on the outside of the ear cups. First, a nanometer-thin layer prevents dust or other contaminants from entering the interior of the headphones and causing distortion. The second protection takes the form of a honeycomb grid that protects the driver from air vibrations, ensuring true-to-life, accurate sound reproduction.

HiFiMAN Mini Shangri-La amplifier

The amplifier is built with a linear power supply, a discrete filter system, and also dual MOSFET transistors, minimizing distortion and other anomalies in a fully balanced input and output design. The amplifier voltage is sent directly to the output power transistors to keep the path clean and uninterrupted. The robust amplifier cabinet has stereo RCA and XLR inputs and two 5-pin electrostatic outputs. A discrete filter system for further filtering out distortion and other anomalies, and a fully balanced design in both the input and output stages.