Hey Guys, so I've got a pair of Shangri-La Jr here. I've really been looking forward to them being delivered to give them a good listen, and see what I think vs. the SR's I wrote a review on.
I've only had about two hours listening with them so far, so these are very initial impressions. This is with my KGSSHV Carbon, and I will circle back to how they sound once my T2 is ready and delivered (sometime in the next couple weeks I'm guessing?)
@number1sixerfan Found the T2 did improve his experience with his pair of SR's, so perhaps that will also be the case with the JR's also? One would think it might be, but time will tell.
Anyhow, my initial impression is that the SR outdo the JR in terms of the very tiny details, and the overall delicate and effortless sound. With that being said, there isn't a massive difference in it, and the difference become less apparent if you do a bit EQ tweaking (which I will mention again a bit later) The thing I'm noticing the most is the overall change in sonic picture and the shape of the soundstage. What is interesting, is I find the soundstage is a similar difference to the HE1000 and Susvara in terms of soundstage height. The SR sounds noticeably taller, and I think it has to be to do with the more circular shape of the JR, vs the egg shape of the SR. The SR also just sounds "bigger" overall. It's not a huge difference, but it's noticeable. Another difference, which may be driver shape and pad related (I'm not sure) is the JR seems to be a few rows forward in the audience, if that makes sense? It's a slightly more upfront sounding soundstage.
I know that
@BassicScience found there to be a pretty big difference in the stock bass response between the JR and SR, with the JR having less bass, but I'm not really finding I'm noticing that so far. The SR definitely has a better bass response, but so far the level is fairly similar. Maybe over time I will notice more difference? I'll go back to the stock tuning after I put some hours on the drivers and see if I notice any changes and report back.
I always used a bit of a low shelf bass increase with the SR when listening for enjoyment, and I'm doing the same with the JR. The JR is a bit less forward in the high upper mids and lower treble, actually in the treble in total. So tweaking the treble level with a tiny bit EQ seems to bring them more in line with the SR's sound signature, but still just missing that edge the SR has in delicate details etc...as well as the bigger sonic picture and soundstage.
The build quality feels pretty similar, same cable, same headband, just a metal shell vs the black metal and wood of the SR. Comfort is good, slightly more clamp than the SR, but overall light feeling and comfortable. Feels sort of like a lighter Susvara which makes sense given the weight and shape.
Is the SR better? So far, yes, unquestionably so. However, The SR also costs a
lot more. The JR, whilst still being expensive ($4000MSRP) is a more manageable proposition and in line with or slightly below most other flagships these days. If you are willing to tweak a little bit with EQ, you can get even closer to the SR's sound signature with the JR than its stock FR. Is the SR worth the extra coin? If they are a possibility for you financially, I'd say yes. If they aren't, the JR's do a lot of the same thing for a whole heck of a lot less money.
Anyhow, that's just my first impressions and I'll share my full review once I've spent a lot more time with the JRs.