Impressions of the Hifiman Shangri-La (SGL) versus Sennheiser HE-1.
I listened to them back-to-back for about 30 minutes each at the La Audio Show this past weekend. The tables for both systems were relatively spread apart and I was lucky to listen to them when there was little environmental noise/foot traffic around the tables.
I believe Tidal was used as the music player for the Sennheiser HE-1 using its internal DAC. The Shrangri-La was fed by a Esoteric SACD player but only redbook CDs were available. I was able to listen to the same track, Poncho Sanchez's Sonando (amazing music!), on both systems, nearly right after the other. My impressions are based largely on this one track.
Tonality. Both systems sound neutral and balanced, with the right amount of bass, mids, and treble. The treble on both systems seem to stretch endlessly but without any fatigue. At high volume, both systems showed zero signs of distortion. The HE-1 was slightly brighter but this may be due to a DAC difference, as I thought the SGL was brighter when I compared the two at a Source A/V event (i.e., SGL was fed by a Sony HAP-Z1ES at this event). In addition, there seemed to be a tactility to the sound of the SGL which made instruments sound more real. Dynamics sound about the same.
PRAT. My use of this term may be in error, but I liken PRAT to a system's "toe tapping" ability. Both systems got me bobbing my head without me being aware of it. I'm usually a tense, nervous guy so a system that gets me to loosen up is a good sign of its musicality. IMO, the toe tapping ability of the HE-1 was slightly ahead. The flow of music sounded effortless on both.
Speed. Wow, both systems are fast (!), with perhaps the HE-1 sightly ahead. Using a car metaphor, the startup and decay speeds on both systems seemed to accelerate from 0 to 60mph effortlessly, and stop from 60 to 0mph on a dime. The speed seemed faster than my 009's driven by KGSSHV Carbon. The tranducers on both systems did not sound strained or distressed at any time during the demo.
Vocals. On Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah, the vocals on the HE-1 sounded a bit strident and unnatural; however, on Elvis Presley's In the Ghetto, Elvis' voice was so clean and natural. Elivis sounded like he was in my head. It may be the case that the HE-1 is so transparent that it brutally reveals recording quality. Vocals on the SGL seemed slightly recessed compared to the instruments on a few vocal tracks I listed to; however, the vocals were still clearly discernible.
Detail. The HE-1 seems to have more detail than the SGL but this may not be a good thing. On the HE-1, every single micro-detail seemed to be fleshed out into the forefront, as if there was a microphone positioned milimeters away from each sound element (i.e., vocals, instruments, etc...). The focus on details were so micro-scopic that it took away from the "big picture," in terms of the details coming together to form a coherent picture. The SGL was also very detailed but each element was not as fleshed out but rather fit together nicely to form a musical gestalt.
Transparency. Both systems were so transparent, with the HE-1 slightly ahead. The transparency of both systems seemed to teleport me to the actual recording venue. The transparency of these system beats almost every other headphone system I've heard, including the Stax 009 with BHSE or KGSSHV Carbon (I have not heard the T2). The only other headphone system I've heard that rivals the transparency of these systems is Milos' DIY electrostatic headphone fed by a BHSE.
Soundstage. This is where the SGL pulls way ahead of the HE-1. The soundstage of HE-1 feels narrow, as if the band is cramped together on a small stage. I would rate the sound stages of my HD800, Abyss, and HE1000 ahead of the HE-1. Parodoxically, the separation of the sound elements on the HE-1 was nicely delineated, with each element having clear boundaries from one another, suggesting that the HE-1 has nice depth layering.
The SGL, on the other hand, not only had depth but a width and height to the soundstage that seemed to have no boundaries and morph according to the size of the actual recording venue. Also, while I never forgot I was listening to headphones on the HE-1, the headphones just disappeared on the SGL. In addition, the SGL had a spaciousness between sound elements that also seemed to scale according to the size of the actual venue, as opposed to the HD800s in which the spaciousness can sometimes feel unnatural. My wife described the SGL as having the best seat at the concert hall, whereas the HE-1 felt like being on the stage with the performers. Regarding the latter, from my perspective, the HE-1 not only felt like I was on stage, but as if my ears were the actual microphone's capturing the performance.
Imaging. Both systems seemed to have pinpoint imaging, but localizing sound elements seemed to take no effort and come more naturally with the SGL due to the larger sound stage and spaciousness between sound elements. On other other hand, I felt like I had to "squint" my ears to localize the sound elements on the HE-1's due to the smaller sound stage.
Build Quality and Aesthetics. I'm more about SQ so external aspects are not as important to me. However, HE-1 wins hands down for build quality and aesthetic. The HE-1 is a piece of art and should belong in a museum. There is also great attention to detail on the HE-1, such as each knob being motorized. The motorized startup to the system is cool for showing off system to non-audiophile friends, but feels a bit gimmicky. On the other hand, the SGL headphone feels about same as the HE-1000 v2 and the volume knob of the SGL amp didn't seem that responsive (had to press down on it to get it to work).
Comfort. The SGL headphone was more comfortable to me - light and fits well. The HE-1 felt a bit heavy for me and a bit warm, temperature wise.
In conclusion, both systems are no doubt SOTA and offer different strengths. The soundstage of the HE-1 was a glaring weakness to me, but I could find almost no fault with the SGL.
Hearing these systems in the context of a high-end speaker show gave me some perspective that there is a critical mass of audiophiles who can easily afford these systems. I've come to accept that someone like me is not the market for these systems. As a a young father with a toddler at home and growing family to feed, practicality takes priority over luxury. Thus, it is a special honor to get to listen to these systems at shows like the LA Audio Show. However, if I were an older man with kids all grown up, I can realistically see myself using my retirement funds to purchase one of these units. Carpe diem, right?
In this hypothetical case, I would choose the Hifiman Shangri-La over the Sennheiser HE-1 based on sound quality alone. In my experience, the Shangri-La is the best headphone system I've ever had privilege of hearing.
