[reinhard5490]

Loving mine for 2 months now. Really, really good with live recordings. I can’t be real active with them on due to the fit, but that just makes me want to sit and listen intensely to the music. They slot into a unique market niche for what they are and do, and I don’t think I will ever let them go. They are THAT good.

same here. Deva makes me really impressed because I test the headphones using AC/DC concert recordings, the soundstage makes a big difference here.

The hardest decision back then was Deva or Meze 99. Meze offer a lot of fun with the bass, but some songs can sound muddy if they small details, which is much more pronounced in live concert.

I have DEVA for 1 week now. I bought it to watch movies. And sound is so realistic. Several times when movies had sound in background, I thought it was coming from my house. I had to either pause the movie, or take the headphones off to confirm sound was coming from the movie.

And the sound quality for music is awesome too. Great fit for my taste.

They can reveal bad recording as well, which I found to be quite unsettling sometimes.

 

[tudedude]

Hey, new here. The Deva is my first legit headphone. I like the sound quality a lot and the convenience of bluetooth. Anyone else have issues with it fitting too loose? It slides around on my head when I look down or up. I'm wondering if thicker aftermarket ear pads will help.

Also there was a rattle in the BT dongle. I took it apart and narrowed the rattle down to the USB button being a little loose. I fixed it by wedging in a little piece of tape between the button and the contact point. Anyways if anyone is interested in a pics of the insides of the dongle I can try and post pictures of it here.

 

[tudedude]

Decided to give the deva a paintjob to match my sofa. I think the original color is its main drawback.

 

[Ichos]

Very beautiful!

 

[D00M]

Nice. Looks like distressed leather with character.

 

[D00M]

I have DEVA for 2 weeks now. Here is my follow-up.

Bluemini: I purchased the wired version thinking that I don't need the bluetooth. But it came with Bluemini v1 (with Bluetooth v4.2).

I have being using the Bluemini a lot more than I expected. And I'm basically using the DEVA now exclusively in wireless mode. I don't hear any difference between wired and Bluemini. And the wireless is just a lot more convenient, even when I'm sitting 2-3 feet from the source (MacBook Pro).

So I would recommend those buying DEVA to consider getting the Bluetooth version. If you go for the open-box, price difference between wired and wireless is only $40.

Comfort: I'm still getting some strain in my temples and cheeks (upper jaw right behind my cheeks and in front of my ears). I tried Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 ohm) before; I had bad headache and ringing ears, from Beyer's harsh sound. So I wore DEVA without music to just to check if the strain is from physical factor or the sound. It is physical. And afterwards, I massage my temple, cheeks, and jaws with my fingers. I can feel there is tightness in those muscles. Or at least massage make those areas feel better.

DEVA's clamp force is very minimal, so I'm surprised. I assume it has to do with the weight and how the large ear pads contact my temple and cheek areas. I believe DEVA (along with 5XX) is among lightest Hifiman planar magnetic headphones, it is still quite heavy compare to some other consumer headphones. And the earpads are a bit thinner in the front (where they touch my temple and cheek area).

Any suggestions on how to improve on DEVA's comfort? Are DEVA ear pads same softness or firmness as Hifiman replacement FocusPad and FocusPad-A? And I don't know if harder or softer pads are better here. I assume softer is better, but I don't have much experience with headphone strain.

I hope I get used to this after some time. I need to strengthen my facial muscles.

 

[zerogun]

Decided to give the deva a paintjob to match my sofa. I think the original color is its main drawback.

Would love to know how you accomplished this! The colour is fantastic!

 

[tudedude]

I have DEVA for 2 weeks now. Here is my follow-up.

Bluemini: I purchased the wired version thinking that I don't need the bluetooth. But it came with Bluemini v1 (with Bluetooth v4.2).

I have being using the Bluemini a lot more than I expected. And I'm basically using the DEVA now exclusively in wireless mode. I don't hear any difference between wired and Bluemini. And the wireless is just a lot more convenient, even when I'm sitting 2-3 feet from the source (MacBook Pro).

So I would recommend those buying DEVA to consider getting the Bluetooth version. If you go for the open-box, price difference between wired and wireless is only $40.

Comfort: I'm still getting some strain in my temples and cheeks (upper jaw right behind my cheeks and in front of my ears). I tried Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 ohm) before; I had bad headache and ringing ears, from Beyer's harsh sound. So I wore DEVA without music to just to check if the strain is from physical factor or the sound. It is physical. And afterwards, I massage my temple, cheeks, and jaws with my fingers. I can feel there is tightness in those muscles. Or at least massage make those areas feel better.

DEVA's clamp force is very minimal, so I'm surprised. I assume it has to do with the weight and how the large ear pads contact my temple and cheek areas. I believe DEVA (along with 5XX) is among lightest Hifiman planar magnetic headphones, it is still quite heavy compare to some other consumer headphones. And the earpads are a bit thinner in the front (where they touch my temple and cheek area).

Any suggestions on how to improve on DEVA's comfort? Are DEVA ear pads same softness or firmness as Hifiman replacement FocusPad and FocusPad-A? And I don't know if harder or softer pads are better here. I assume softer is better, but I don't have much experience with headphone strain.

I hope I get used to this after some time. I need to strengthen my facial muscles.

I get a neck ache. I found it came from straining to keep it from slipping off my head when I do activities around the house. It's subconscious but my neck is always tensed up because of how unbalanced it feels. I found that wearing a cap or beanie keeps it in place and relaxes my neck. I also found that wearing a beanie or cap underneath helps distribute the load so that might help with your situation.

 

[tudedude]

Would love to know how you accomplished this! The colour is fantastic!

Thanks. It's actually not that difficult. I first painted everything with a thin layer of mars black Winsor Newton professional acrylic paint. I allowed the paint to set for a couple hours. I then lightly rubbed off the black with a paper towel damped in 90% isopropyl alcohol. I was careful not to completely rub off all the black paint. I left just enough black to accentuate the cracks in the leather, stitched seems, and other areas to give it that aged look. I then went over everything with a thin layer of burnt sienna acrylic paint(Winsor Newton Professional paint). This tied everything together with a warm brown color.


Here's what it looked like all black before I rubbed it out with isopropyl.

 

[calumniate]

Hey Tudedude and JimmyK,

With respect to comfort I agree with you (though i have the 400i 2020 version, they are essentially built the same). You can see my mod here (it's since been upgraded but this should give you the basic idea):
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-he400i-2020-version.936340/page-7#post-16082878

The strap i purchased is a fostex one:
https://www.modhouseaudio.com/fostex-deerskin-suspension-strap/fostex-deerskin-suspension-strap

Really improves the comfort level! I've since made some adjustments so the band doesn't flop around as much and I can put them on more easily

 

[tudedude]

Hey Tudedude and JimmyK,

With respect to comfort I agree with you (though i have the 400i 2020 version, they are essentially built the same). You can see my mod here (it's since been upgraded but this should give you the basic idea):
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-he400i-2020-version.936340/page-7#post-16082878

The strap i purchased is a fostex one:
https://www.modhouseaudio.com/fostex-deerskin-suspension-strap/fostex-deerskin-suspension-strap

Really improves the comfort level! I've since made some adjustments so the band doesn't flop around as much and I can put them on more easily

Cool! I'll check those out. thanks

 

[srrd]

I can finally share some of my experiences with the HiFiMan Deva.
I've read about the atrocious QC and was like "nah can't be that bad".

I think it's a really great headphone, I like the sound signature of it, except that 4900-5300Hz spike which I for now digitally EQ out and will later do so with an analog filter.
I do overall enjoy the experience more than on my 6XX even though the 6XX still has a more neutral signature.
The Deva is more lively to my ears, has a better soundstage and resolution, although not as "clean" as the 6XX.

As far as my luck with their QC goes... not so much sadly.
The first unit had an elevated 5300Hz spike by 8db compared to the right channel. That was really something. I was constantly wondering why people didn't think of the Deva as sibilant. Even EQ'ing didn't really help because it was 8db and mismatched between the two channels.

So, luckily where I live we have a great retailer that exchanged it without any hassle.
On to the second unit and: Yes!
No more troublesome channel imbalance in the entire treble range. There's s still a bit but it's acceptable, maybe 1-2db in some ranges.

But there's a few odd things about that unit as well, sadly.
The two drivers on the left and right side play at different volumes on the outside in the bass region.
The left earcup, from the outside (not when wearing them), is double the volume from 20-200Hz than on the right side.
The right earcup, from the outside, sounds like my first unit did on both channels.
The left channel also seems to play bass with a different signature than the right one.
It almost feels like the left driver has been put in backwards.

In addition to that, the left side seems be in a resonance with something causing a rattle that is, from what I can tell, not originating from the driver itself. It only occurs at higher listening volumes and is at 20Hz, 80Hz, 160Hz and ~350Hz and stops at ~500Hz.

I'm wondering whether I should ask for an exchange of this one too.
I really like these cans but I don't want to take the chance again and have another pair that might have treble channel imbalance, because that would be worse than the other issues combined.

Any suggestions? Should I just say "ah I'll keep what I have?" or should I push for another unit?

Update: Left driver is slowly self destructing. Have to exchange them again.

 

[calumniate]

You could add more foam to one ear or the other?

 

[sacguy231]

Just got these today so I can't give long term impressions, but initially: wow are these comfortable! My ears touch nothing and I can envision myself wearing these for hours on end. Padding is soft, deep, and these are breathable and not too heavy. Bluetooth range and quality seem quite good. Sound is airy, and soundstage is great - a little EQ and these are very, very enjoyable. These can extend low, and detail retrieval is great at this price. For the money I'm pleasantly surprised. Build quality is actually nice, or at least better than I was expecting. I have returned or sold several Hifiman products over the years for various reasons, hope these are keepers.

 

[MisterMudd]

Can I just use a 3.5mm to 4.4mm adaptor on the included cable to use my Deva on my iFi Zen balanced?