[purk]

I'm just glad that this phone is terminated with Stax plug.  This aspect alone will make it more appealing to us Stax owners who already got an amp(s) that capable of driving the SL.

 

[LouisArmstrong]

Hope this works with my BHSE.

 

[kid vic]

  Hope this works with my BHSE.

Look at the post above yours. Good news for you!

 

[LouisArmstrong]

Great. The price of a single vintage 300B tube has become higher than the price of a BHSE, thanks to the blooming Chinese market in recent years. If we can use the Shangri-La with the BHSE there is one less problem to worry about.

 

[Vartan]

 

[InsanityOne]

 

 
Highlights:

1. Shangri-La has its roots in a DIY project that started over 10 years ago.
2. Also known as the "Jade 2" as the original Hifiman "Jade" headphones were their first hand-made electro-stats.
3. The original "Jade" headphones were removed from the market because their design was not "mature" enough.
4. Many new technologies have been applied to the Shangri-La like the "nano-thickness diaphragm" and the "nano-particle coating" on the surface of the diaphragm.
5. "The nano-particles are evenly distributed across the entire surface of the diaphragm so that the sound is identical."
6. "In this situation the diaphragm is not sensitive to humidity or dust and can last a very long time and is very strong."
7. "In the amplifier for this headphone we are using very expensive 300B vacuum tubes that are custom made just for this amplifier."
8. "Regardless of any headphones that we have tested, this system is very natural sounding, like a singer sitting right in front of you, and it just sounds better than anything else that we have currently."

 
So basically this is going to literally cost you your first born, your kidney, and any other available body parts / children that you have to sell off, especially with the custom made 300B tubes. But the good news is, that this headphone has been in the works for a LONG time. So hopefully it really will be an HE1060 competitor when it hits its final production version. Also, I was very happy to hear that humidity and dust will not be an issue with the SL.
 
- InsanityOne

 

 

[listen4joy]

i still wait for answer here in this topic for hifiman if this headphone will have the option to buy it alone without the amp, and which price will it be? otherwise it just expensive system that only few will buy and the rest will tallk about.

 

[VandyMan]

The price has not yet been announced.

 

[listen4joy]

According to the founder and CEO of HIFIMAN on his Weibo (China's version of Twitter). The Shangri-La electrostatic headphone and amplifier combo isn't going to be cheaper than a BYD Tang SUV. (CN¥300,000 or ~$45,750 USD)
 
Source (In Chinese): http://www.weibo.com/2907914434/DbatB5epw?type=comment#_loginLayer_1452109342968 
 
i dont think it will be so different than whats been written here, the price i want to know is the headphone alone if it will be available as single unit

 

[potkettleblack]

Great updates thanks insanity.

 

[Hutnicks]

  i still wait for answer here in this topic for hifiman if this headphone will have the option to buy it alone without the amp, and which price will it be? otherwise it just expensive system that only few will buy and the rest will tallk about.

Headphones are a freebie, thrown in gratis with the 50 grand amp
 
Those reclusive Tibetan glass blowers don't work cheap you know.

 

[Stillhart]

  According to the founder and CEO of HIFIMAN on his Weibo (China's version of Twitter). The Shangri-La electrostatic headphone and amplifier combo isn't going to be cheaper than a BYD Tang SUV. (CN¥300,000 or ~$45,750 USD)
 
Source (In Chinese): http://www.weibo.com/2907914434/DbatB5epw?type=comment#_loginLayer_1452109342968 
 
i dont think it will be so different than whats been written here, the price i want to know is the headphone alone if it will be available as single unit

 
I asked him directly what the price range would be and he said they didn't know yet because the product is simply not finished yet.  They are planning on making it a "statement product" though, so expect it to be high.

 

[InsanityOne]

  i still wait for answer here in this topic for hifiman if this headphone will have the option to buy it alone without the amp, and which price will it be? otherwise it just expensive system that only few will buy and the rest will tallk about.

I 100% agree with you on this. As a consumer of high-end headphone products (and as someone with knowledge in consumer / business interactions) if my company (e.g. Sennheiser or Hifiman) was going to release a "statement product" that showcases the epitome of our research and technology I would want to price it so that at least 15-25% of my consumers could actually save up and afford it.
 
Pricing a "statement product" so that only the top 1%, .1%, or .01% of my consumers could enjoy it would be like taking those 10 years I (Hifiman) spent on development / research and just throwing them in the garbage in the name of exclusivity. It is a slap in the face to all the faithful followers (would-be buyers) of said company's products. It is like taking a childs favorite toy and putting it in a locked glass box right in front of them. The child will not understand why you did it, they will only understand that what you did was negative.
 
If the Shangri-La truly ends up costing in excess of $45,000, I hope that Dr. Fang will realize that barely anyone will be able to afford that and work on releasing a version of the Shangri-La that takes out all of the unnecessary expenses (like the amp and other overpriced construction materials) in favor of a more economically priced model. He has done this in the past with the HE-1000 and the Edition X, so there is still hope.
 

Great updates thanks insanity.

No problem! I know people don't always like to watch videos, and Dr. Fang isn't always crystal clear with his English. So I figured I would write up a nice set of highlights.
 
 

  According to the founder and CEO of HIFIMAN on his Weibo (China's version of Twitter). The Shangri-La electrostatic headphone and amplifier combo isn't going to be cheaper than a BYD Tang SUV. (CN¥300,000 or ~$45,750 USD)
 
Source (In Chinese): http://www.weibo.com/2907914434/DbatB5epw?type=comment#_loginLayer_1452109342968 
 
i dont think it will be so different than whats been written here, the price i want to know is the headphone alone if it will be available as single unit

If this is really true, it will be sad to see Hifiman taking after Sennheiser's pricing scheme on the HE1060... 

 
 

   
I asked him directly what the price range would be and he said they didn't know yet because the product is simply not finished yet.  They are planning on making it a "statement product" though, so expect it to be high.

My first quoted reply in this post will reflect on why the phrase "statement product" makes me very nervous.
 
- InsanityOne 

 

 

[Stillhart]

  I 100% agree with you on this. As a consumer of high-end headphone products (and as someone with knowledge in consumer / business interactions) if my company (e.g. Sennheiser or Hifiman) was going to release a "statement product" that showcases the epitome of our research and technology I would want to price it so that at least 15-25% of my consumers could actually save up and afford it.
 
Pricing a "statement product" so that only the top 1%, .1%, or .01% of my consumers could enjoy it would be like taking those 10 years I (Hifiman) spent on development / research and just throwing them in the garbage in the name of exclusivity. It is a slap in the face to all the faithful followers (would-be buyers) of said company's products. It is like taking a childs favorite toy and putting it in a locked glass box right in front of them. The child will not understand why you did it, they will only understand that what you did was negative.
 
If the Shangri-La truly ends up costing in excess of $45,000, I hope that Dr. Fang will realize that barely anyone will be able to afford that and work on releasing a version of the Shangri-La that takes out all of the unnecessary expenses (like the amp and other overpriced construction materials) in favor of a more economically priced model. He has done this in the past with the HE-1000 and the Edition X, so there is still hope.
 
snip
 
My first quoted reply in this post will reflect on why the phrase "statement product" makes me very nervous.
 
- InsanityOne 

 

 
Re the bolded part, I already confirmed this in my previous post.  Fang said he plans on releasing a more affordable version for sure.

 

[purk]

Funny how Hifiman is taking a page from Sennheiser by not announcing the price of their product right away.  I can see that this will be a very expensive set of headphones...just like the way Sennheiser did it to their new Orpheus system.