[pk4425]

Appreciate the comparisons and impressions! Agreed that comfort is a giant dealbreaker; if they hurt to wear then they aren't worth it. Also agreed that Shure missed the mark by not storing EQ settings within the headphones themselves. I hope they fix that at some point, either via firmware (if even possible) or product revision.

Thanks. I hope I didn't come across as crapping on the Shures. They're premium cans that will work for a lot of people. Just not me.

Happy New Year.

 

[ryanmatic]

Not at all—everything’s subjective around here, especially sound quality. Happy 2021 to ya too

 

[pk4425]

Not at all—everything’s subjective around here, especially sound quality. Happy 2021 to ya too

Thanks, man. Happy New Year to you and all Head-Fiers!

 

[D00M]

I want to introduce an alternative to Shure AONIC 50, for home use: HIFIMAN DEVA. DEVA has bluetooth, but it is not like traditional bluetooth headphones, so you might not hear about it.

I have had Shure AONIC 50 since July. I liked its sound for music. I pay attention to vocals in music. So I want strong mid/vocals which does not sound recessed. I got that on A50. But A50 has small soundstage. Vocals, music, instruments are all in your face. I found that watching movies, A50 sounds 2-dimensional.

I was looking for value headphone that can provide more soundstage, but also has good music capability. I often find that sound stage vs mid/vocals are opposite. Most headphones with large soundstage do so thru V-shaped sound profile, which results in recessed vocals. So I need find a balance between mid/vocals and soundstage.

I was specifically looking at wired, either closed or open back. Since I will be watching movie at home in front of the computer, I'm good with wired. And I believe wired headphone at same price point will have better sound than bluetooth. I didn't mind if it was closed vs open back.

I narrowed down to these 2 headphones:

• HIFIMAN DEVA (Wired New $220, Open-box $190; Bluetooth New $300, Open-box $230)
• Drop + HIFIMAN HE-5xx (Wired $220)

I ended up getting DEVA open-box and that came with bluetooth unit. And after I compared DEVA vs A50, I found that DEVA is a strong competitor (and to me sounds even better than A50). DEVA is more detailed, has better instrument separate, and larger soundstage, than A50. The difference is quite significant. I just do one AB comparison, I can hear the difference. The downside of DEVA is vocals sound a bit further back and less in-your-fact than A50. The vocal difference is not as apparent. I have to do AB multiple times to pick out the differences. For me, for both music and movies, I have being picking DEVA over A50.

Do note that their application and usage environment is different. A50 is closed back and has ANC. So it is usable outside your home, on train, planes, walks, office, etc. On other hand DEVA is open back (obviously no ANC), larger, and bluetooth module is externally attached. So this is usable mainly at home. I tried DEVA on my daily walks around the neighborhood. It works, but clamp force is too low to have a secure fit while moving around. A50 definitely works better on walks.

This is my review of DEVA and comparison to AONIC 50, on the DEVA thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-deva-official-thread.928847/page-38#post-16077379

Some photos comparing the 2 headphones:
DEVA only comes in the light brown color. Shure has couple color choices and I got the black version.

DEVA has bigger and deeper ear cups:

Headband design is quite similar. DEVA headband is a bit wider, while A50 headband is thinner. A50 headband is padded at bottom (where it touches the head), where as DEVA headband is thicker and has padding on both top and bottom (but top padding is not really useful or needed).

 

[pk4425]

Thanks for this detailed analysis of the Deva's. They appealed to me during my search, but I really needed closed-back cans, probably with ANC, because I travel a bit for business. Plus, I live in a house with my wife and two of my three kids, and they didn't like the sound leakage from the open-back Philips SHP9500s that I used to have.

I'm quite happy with my Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless. But the Deva's still will tempt me if I ever want an open-back planar magnetic. They look like really sweet cans for the money. How is the build quality? I hear and read some concerns about HiFiMan's quality control.

Thanks! Have fun with the Deva's.

 

[AxiAziz]

Guys, i know you've already talked about this topic but, i don't know how can find, so sorry about requestion;

In quite a lot of comments, they stated that the sound was heard from the outside, it is not a problem at home of course but when you are on airplane or bus, is there a sound leak?

 

[mcook1970]

In quite a lot of comments, they stated that the sound was heard from the outside, it is not a problem at home of course but when you are on airplane or bus, is there a sound leak?

Yes, unfortunately there is some sound leakage. For example, if i am sitting next to my wife then she can hear what i am listening and she starts yelling at me to turn it down but when i flick the noise cancelling switch on i can't hear her!

 

[Augustin79]

Anyone else had an issue with the "leather" under the headband coming loose? This just happened to me and I'm really unhappy about it. I've had the cans since july last year. Already contacted the seller and I'll have to return it and either get it fixed or replaced (replacement would suit me fine

Also, does anyone know where I can find the serialnumber for my headset (on the box/under pads etc.?)

 

[ryanmatic]

Ugh, that sucks... best of luck getting it replaced. I think the serial number is on the box, but you might also check around the drivers (after taking the ear pads off).

 

[Ettepet]

Isn’t the serial number mentioned through the app?

 

[ryanmatic]

Oh good call, yeah it’s in the app.

Device (...) > About > Serial Number

 

[Ettepet]

Oh good call, yeah it’s in the app.

Device (...) > About > Serial Number

It helps remembering such things if you’re a more recent buyer.

 

[fret]

Do these headphones come with a "regular" cable to connect to my AV Receiver listening to music or my Marshall amp when playing the guitar? If so, how long is it?

Also, is there a noticeable difference in sound quality between "plugged in" and wireless/bluetooth?

Thanks!

 

[ryanmatic]

Yup, it comes with a 2.5 to 3.5 cable. There's a pic here.

Yes, there's an improvement when plugged in, either to a computer/tablet via USB C or to a reasonable DAC via aux. I notice a bit more soundstage and bass extension. But don't mistake that these already sound pretty excellent wirelessly, so the difference (while appreciated) is not night and day.

 

[fret]

Yup, it comes with a 2.5 to 3.5 cable. There's a pic here.

Yes, there's an improvement when plugged in, either to a computer/tablet via USB C or to a reasonable DAC via aux. I notice a bit more soundstage and bass extension. But don't mistake that these already sound pretty excellent wirelessly, so the difference (while appreciated) is not night and day.

Thanks, it looks to be fairly short. 3 feet? Is that correct?

Also, I'm getting back into the audiophile world after a several year hiatus. Back then, we believed that the longer the audio cable, the worse the sound quality. Is that still the "wisdom?" I'm debating between a 15 ft cable which will fit my current needs, and a 20 or 25 ft cable which might come in handy in the future.