HIFIMAN Deva Headphone

I got my first planar magnetic headphone #hifiman Deva last week. I placed an order of the headphone + case combo deal on Goldfinch Acoustics on 24th afternoon and received the package via Bluedart express delivery on 25th, that's fairly fast. Also, the ordering process and everything was flawless. Unboxing – I was really impressed with how Hifiman delivers or rather packages their entry level magnaplanars, Deva’s came in a cardboard box with foam and Satin, unboxing these was somewhat like you have got a highend HP, I got these with a hifiman case which is again of very good quality. You get one thick cable with 3.5MM termination and an 3.5MM to 6.35MM headphone adapter. Unfortunately, the unit in India is wired version and I am still keen to see when the Bluemini adapter would be launched so I can grab one. You are not supposed to carry this while jogging (open back) but yes it will increase the convenience, who knows whether it will be a design adopted by other companies making magnaplanars? (Hifiman has already done this with Ananda) Now, coming to the headphones itself, Looks – These definitely look nice with the color combination available, these are made of plastic but do not look cheap in any manner, by the looks, they appear premium albeit plastic construction. The cable is stiff but I do not have any issues with that. Comfort – I was curious about the weight of the headphones since when I tried HE5xx, I found those a bit on heavier side but these are lightweight and very comfortable, I have listened to these straight 2 hours without much of an issue. The pads cover my ears entirely which helps. Driveability – According to me Deva is easy to drive considering it’s a magnaplanar, I am able to drive it to decent volume on my LGV30+ at 60/75, Realme X2 pro – 95% volume, Acer Aspire gaming laptop – 80% volume. I can say for sure that these can driven from phones however adding Dac/Amps should improve the experience. Mine is still in transit so I will update my review later. Sound quality – I am pretty impressed with the sonic quality of these headphones, the sound reproduction is to my liking, initially the output out of these weren’t something I would considering too good but I think the sound has improved over the last one week, it is growing on me. These are definitely not for analytical listening rather Deva’s are meant to be enjoyed without being too technical, you will definitely hear something in your music you would have missed previously Mids are clean and a very neutral presentation Bass is good and has a good low end however somewhat it lacks thump (it is good if we take into account that these are open back headphones) but the bass is fast with good decay, it doesn’t mix up with other frequency Treble is too good, has nice instrument separation but these don’t sound bright to me which is a good thing. Devas produce excellent details and this is what I really liked Soundstage is not too wide but has good depth, it’s above average Conclusion – According to me, for the price that Deva is available now, it is a strong recommendation for someone entering the audiophile game, secondly, you would be able to experience the sound of a magnaplanar at such a bargain price which is entry level even if we consider open back dynamic driver hps, At this price point, Deva can possibly outperform anything else when it comes to details, also these are fairly easy to drive so an average consumer can buy these headphones, run it through their portable gears until they save up for a decent decamp (it doesn’t require much power as reported by other friends of mine in the audiophile community). Good job Hifiman!!