[bball]

Does the USB cable allow this headphone to act as a Dac straight from the iPhone?

 

[tudedude]

Does the USB cable allow this headphone to act as a Dac straight from the iPhone?

Edit: Nevermind, see below for better response.

 

[trellus]

Does the USB cable allow this headphone to act as a Dac straight from the iPhone?

I don't know if this is different on the newer Bluemini Dongle, but I ordered the Deva almost immediately after release early 2020 and with the Bluemini Dongle and the included stock USB cable, I was not able to get my iPhone to successfully play anything through USB with my Apple CCK. It didn't even recognize it until I plugged in Lightning cable (I have the newer Apple CCK which has a Lightning port and USB-A port to enable charging at the same time as using a USB accessory), and iPhone showed it was playing on HiFiMAN Deva, but it did not actually make any sound.

The same stock USB cable connected to Mac mini played just fine using the Bluemini as a DAC, so at least on my setup, it did not work, unfortunately, over USB to the iPhone (I have an iPhone 12 Pro)

 

[bball]

I don't know if this is different on the newer Bluemini Dongle, but I ordered the Deva almost immediately after release early 2020 and with the Bluemini Dongle and the included stock USB cable, I was not able to get my iPhone to successfully play anything through USB with my Apple CCK. It didn't even recognize it until I plugged in Lightning cable (I have the newer Apple CCK which has a Lightning port and USB-A port to enable charging at the same time as using a USB accessory), and iPhone showed it was playing on HiFiMAN Deva, but it did not actually make any sound.

The same stock USB cable connected to Mac mini played just fine using the Bluemini as a DAC, so at least on my setup, it did not work, unfortunately, over USB to the iPhone (I have an iPhone 12 Pro)

thanks for the info!

 

[bball]

Is anyone able to compare this to the Oppo pm3?

 

[timwillhack]

Is anyone able to compare this to the Oppo pm3?

I have the Drop Pandas, which were apparently a modified PM3. The soundstage on these Devas blow the pandas away. The pandas also sound muddier and veiled in comparison, but I've heard the PM3's sound better than the Pandas so take my comparison with a sprinkle of salt... and pepper!

 

[bball]

I have the Drop Pandas, which were apparently a modified PM3. The soundstage on these Devas blow the pandas away. The pandas also sound muddier and veiled in comparison, but I've heard the PM3's sound better than the Pandas so take my comparison with a sprinkle of salt... and pepper!

I’m really excited to hear these headphones! Placed my order and I should have it this weekend. I’m a little late to the party as I just started getting into headphones more. I’ve always put more time and effort into my stereo but having a little one has changed this!

 

[timwillhack]

I’m really excited to hear these headphones! Placed my order and I should have it this weekend. I’m a little late to the party as I just started getting into headphones more. I’ve always put more time and effort into my stereo but having a little one has changed this!

I hope you love them. Keep in mind these are open backs, you can definitely hear them a whole room away if you have the volume at a fun level. However, they actually also sound really good at low volumes. If you like the PM3's, and open backs are a problem, I'd check out the pandas. They are my fav closed back with LDAC, AptxHD ATM and the battery life is amazing. You can get them for 200 or so on ebay, and are totally worth it.

 

[Birdland]

Well, I have lived with my Devas for a year now, and I still love them. While I use my IEM's much more because of needing to shut out the world around me, it is a joy to be able to put on the Devas in those rare moments of quiet. There are times that the razor focus and clarity of my IEM's is awesome, but the relaxed, bigger picture sound of these full-size open backs is a comforting switch.

It's been great to see all the comments of praise for these headphones! Hifiman really hit a sweet spot with the Devas, on a price to performance ratio. Their versatility is unmatched. I think it's awesome that they are now including the Bluemini with their new high-end closed backs. With any luck, their overall headphone design will allow more models to use the Bluemini, too. These are great wired to a great amp, but the convenience of wireless without huge sacrifices in quality is a huge bonus.

Thanks again to the Head Fi community!

 

[timwillhack]

I agree Birdland! These hit a sweet spot in open buttery fun/intimacy. I've been listening to them just before bed with my eyes closed and everything so far sounds just right for a private concert in my head. These are my current end to wireless freedom around the house listening during my work day and they've been just beautiful.

I think the problem with the bluemini is its a single output, whereas most headphones have a jack on both sides so they don't run a wire up the headband - which in previous comments, is a point of weakness that the community has expectations of at least since the wire is on a pivot and is very thin. I'd rather have two beefier jacks in the earcup that could realistically be repaired easier. Sorry, I don't communicate well...

I ended up buying the Qudelix 5k even though its got a really short battery life on balanced. The range on them for ldac is so much better than the bluemini, which is a bummer, since I just upgraded the battery life on the bluemini. Having PEQ on all my sources is pretty sweet too, the only issue I've had with the Deva profile is sibilance. I also feel like the 5k can drive them more powerfully than the mini. More punch and just doesn't sound like they are pushed to the max whereas at my choice for volume (relatively high) the mini just starts to sound like its slightly over its comfort limit.

Anyway I'm glad to hear from another satisfied buyer of these!

 

[Dawgfish]

I finally got my ears on these yesterday and I'm pleasantly surprised how good they sound especially with the Bluemini. To make a long story short I bought these for my lady for her birthday last week. I had not seen her since she got them as I've been helping family members with health issues. She's been telling me since she got them how much she loved them. Not long after getting settled in she hands them to me and says "you got to hear these". After listening for a bit I was pleasantly shocked how good they sound with the Bluemini and also by how powerful the Bluemini is. I want a pair of these now! Lol!

The icing on the cake was seeing her listening to them while cooking dinner (I offered to get takeout or go out but she wanted to cook, no argument here!). She was dancing all around the kitchen and singing while preparing dinner. It was very apparent how much she enjoys them. She used to use 1More Triple Driver wireless as her go to headset. She told me last night after hearing the Deva that the Triple Drivers are relegated to backup duty and she really didn't want to listen to them anymore. Got to say I'm really proud of her! Lol!

 

[samandhi]

I finally got my ears on these yesterday and I'm pleasantly surprised how good they sound especially with the Bluemini. To make a long story short I bought these for my lady for her birthday last week. I had not seen her since she got them as I've been helping family members with health issues. She's been telling me since she got them how much she loved them. Not long after getting settled in she hands them to me and says "you got to hear these". After listening for a bit I was pleasantly shocked how good they sound with the Bluemini and also by how powerful the Bluemini is. I want a pair of these now! Lol!

The icing on the cake was seeing her listening to them while cooking dinner (I offered to get takeout or go out but she wanted to cook, no argument here!). She was dancing all around the kitchen and singing while preparing dinner. It was very apparent how much she enjoys them. She used to use 1More Triple Driver wireless as her go to headset. She told me last night after hearing the Deva that the Triple Drivers are relegated to backup duty and she really didn't want to listen to them anymore. Got to say I'm really proud of her! Lol!

My wife has a similar take on the Deva. She has always claimed that she doesn't care that much about sound quality. The last pair I bought her was the Bose QC25, and she has been mostly happy with them (though I personally think they sound like crap hehe). A few weeks ago, I put them on her head playing her type of music, and while she didn't say that they sounded fantastic or bad, she did not want to give them back to me for a while. And, since then she has teased me about stealing them from me. Testament enough for me!

While I DO love that Hifiman created the Bluemini to be detachable, they didn't create the idea as some reviewers would have you believe. In fact Bose tried it about 9 years ago with their AE2W BT headphones. The dongle is fully removeable and a wire can be inserted for wired listening. Back then it was not lauded so much a revolutionary idea, but gaudy looking. I have never been a huge fan of Bose products, but have to say these sounded very good (I still own them). Obviously they don't come close to the sound that Hifman has been able to squeeze out of their planar headphones. Anyhow, I just thought I would share.

 

[Birdland]

Yeah, most of the time I am content to listen to them through the Bluemini from my Android phone. LDAC is fantastic, compared to the other bluetooth protocols. I have to share, though, that the best of LDAC is not on automatic adaptive setting. I unlocked the developer options on my phone to be able to access the varying data transfer rates on the LDAC protocol. By far, I prefer the 660kbps setting. Some annoying peaks disappeared, the soundstage is more natural, and the sound is still wonderfully detailed.

Interestingly, this is not something I found true with just the Devas. I have a pair of IEM's that I use as bluetooth (not the way they were intended to use), and they had the same annoying peaks as the Devas while using the adaptive setting. While these peaks made both seem very detailed, it was too much of a good thing. With the 660 setting, I actually hear more details on both sets of headphones, and both have a better soundstage. The peaks aren't overshadowing the rest of the music now. The reproduction of cymbals has always bugged me a bit on the Devas, but they instantly improved when I switched to the 660 setting. There is an even higher transfer rate setting on LDAC, but I didn't hear any sonic advantage with the 990 setting, and I found that the connection would easily become unstable. Perhaps most interesting, this is the second Android phone I've had since getting the Devas, and I had exactly the same results.

I would be interested to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences with LDAC.

 

[samandhi]

Yeah, most of the time I am content to listen to them through the Bluemini from my Android phone. LDAC is fantastic, compared to the other bluetooth protocols. I have to share, though, that the best of LDAC is not on automatic adaptive setting. I unlocked the developer options on my phone to be able to access the varying data transfer rates on the LDAC protocol. By far, I prefer the 660kbps setting. Some annoying peaks disappeared, the soundstage is more natural, and the sound is still wonderfully detailed.

Interestingly, this is not something I found true with just the Devas. I have a pair of IEM's that I use as bluetooth (not the way they were intended to use), and they had the same annoying peaks as the Devas while using the adaptive setting. While these peaks made both seem very detailed, it was too much of a good thing. With the 660 setting, I actually hear more details on both sets of headphones, and both have a better soundstage. The peaks aren't overshadowing the rest of the music now. The reproduction of cymbals has always bugged me a bit on the Devas, but they instantly improved when I switched to the 660 setting. There is an even higher transfer rate setting on LDAC, but I didn't hear any sonic advantage with the 990 setting, and I found that the connection would easily become unstable. Perhaps most interesting, this is the second Android phone I've had since getting the Devas, and I had exactly the same results.

I would be interested to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences with LDAC.

LDAC has come a long way on phones (smaller devices). Adaptive was just about the only way that most phones could use LDAC, and 990 has always been pretty much out of the question. Nowadays, I have mine set to 990 with no issues at all. I can hear a difference between 660 and 990, but it is not as obvious as say between AptX and SBC, for instance.

Personally I would like it if more phone makers would start supporting - system-wide - the LHDC codec. As it is now you have to settle for using a small few players that have it baked into it. The problem with this is that these players kinda' suck, and I am stuck on Neutron, or UAPP. Hifiman sit on the board of the Hi-Res Wireless Audio (HWA) union, responsible for LHDC and LLAC (LHDC LL) and have included support for it since the Ananda BT came out. What is strange to me is that on their own store page, when listing all the codecs for the Deva, LHDC is not even listed, though it IS for the Ananda BT.... This seems strange given they are trying to promote the codec.

For those not familiar with LHDC, HERE is the wiki article regarding it.

 

[Birdland]

Interesting... I'll have to try the 990 again. My IEM's use a multipoint adaptor, and I wonder if my other source is causing some confusion there. I'm all about getting the most out of my headphones!