HIFIMAN E-Stats (Shangri-La / Jr. / Jade II)

@purr1n
1400$...just for the Jade 2, not including the amp. 2499$ for the amp+headphones.
https://www.headamp.com/order/hifiman-jade-ii-open-back-electrostatic-headphones/

 

I actually know Fang from way back, before Hifiman even entered the US market and they were more focused on portable DAPs...the man is probably the most technically proficient person I have ever met in the hifi world. Talk to him about anything technical, and he will give you a satisfying answer. Working with him was quite an experience.

He also lacks even the slightest amount of respect for hifi enthusiasts and the opinions of other human beings in general. You may as well be wishing for an extra moon in the sky.

 

Bought just the headphones and right out of the box it sounded lean and was bass light for sure, but sound stage is good, and does have eStat level of detail and energy. With some tweaking on the full iDSD Pro Dac >iCAN PRO Amp > iESL PRO Energizer it actually sounds quite good. I like it better than my HE1K V2 now. Would say the build material feels cheap, and the packaging with no case or instructions makes you feel 2nd class.. It's actually more comfortable for me than the HE1K V2 which I personally found very comfortable. It has to do with the lightweight of the Jade..

For now, the settings that I personally enjoy the Jade II with are iESL: 640V Bias, 96ohm, and AC Termination on. iCan: 20Hz Xbass Boost, Tube+ mode, 9db Gain (listening at 12'o clock). iDSD: Solidstate mode, GTO filter, DSD 1024 re-sampling.

Added side by side photo of it next to my HE1K V2 for size comparison purposes.

 

Maybe, maybe not. Lots of people listen at moderate levels and will never approach the limits of even the 300B (which, be it noted) are similar to the 6SN7GTA/B and more than the 6CG7 used in the SRM-T1 for example). Just pointing out that it isn't as great as some. And actually the slew rate into stat headphones is probably more dependent on the output current available than the voltage.

Yes the 300B sells, sometime for its sonic qualities, sometimes for its sonic cachet.

Agree in part and disagree in part. You're not going to get any argument from me about old equipment. My turntable comes from the 1950s, as do my speakers, and my phono preamp, line preamp and main amp are all tubes, so cap coupled.

I haven't used the "sounds like shit" argument because 1) I haven't heard the Jade II amp and 2) I'm partially deaf anyway.

But, OK: I've posted elsewhere my arguments in favor of constant current loads (CCCL) for electrostatic headphone outputs over resistor load outputs. They improve efficiency, increase the amount of drive current and decrease distortion in the output device. A few people have tried my modification of the SRM-T1 from resistor loads to constant current loads, and so far, all of them that have commented said it sounds better with constant current loads. So, my guess is the amp is likely to sound better with CCL.

As for the comment that it is "rather classless that someone who commercially builds such amps for profit does a tear down of competitor's products," I respectfully disagree. My understanding is that spritzer has specifically stated that he does not make a profit on the amps he sells, so unless you know something I don't, I would let that argument drop. As far as classless, if you know of anyone else who buys stuff, opens it up and takes photos, please, let us know. I'm sure we would all be happy to profit from the information. My opinion is that I am happy to learn of potential shortcomings of equipment from an imperfect source than not to know them at all, and I can draw my own conclusions. Is he opinionated? Absolutely, and so are you, and so am I.

 

Well, I don't want to get too much into the weeds on this. I assume that he charges for his time in building his amps, but doesn't consider that profit. Anyway, that's him, not me so I don't really want to get into it over that. And I assume that the fact that SBAF has sponsors does not affect the content here.

Now, as I recall, spritzer used to open up stuff and comment on build quality, design, etc., well before he started building and selling amps, so I see this as just a continuation of what he did before. Not everybody liked it then either. People are free to take his info or not, just as people are free to take my opinion or not - it's just my opinion.

 

Can't comment on the single-ended Carbon CC or its price, nor on the expensive cable. I _can_ comment on the price of the KGST. I have it in my notes that building one cost me approximately $1100 in parts. That does not include anything I spent on any tools I already have, nor any tools I bought for that build specifically, nor any additional cost I incurred by having to buy PCBs or wire in bulk. It does not include my time spent on the build.

Spritzer lives in Iceland, which has high import costs and tariffs. Let's assume he spent about the same on KGST parts as I did, plus 25%. $1375. He sells the KGST for $3000. I estimate that build took me 40 hours, including research, design, CAD work, sourcing rare parts like quad-gang volume pots and custom transformers, matching 6S4A tubes, etc. etc. etc. Let's assume it only takes him half that time, 20 hours, to build an amp. That works out to about $80/hr. That's a decent wage, but not a killing by any stretch of the imagination. He also has to pay income taxes on the sale. Demand for third-party electrostatic amps rounds down to zero, so he can't make up for it in volume.

Not much of a profit-making enterprise in my book. Good that he has a real job outside of making amps.

 

I'm no economist, but I'm fairly certain that the whole "exchanging skills and labour for money" thing (above base material costs) is kinda sorta the definition of working for profit.

That said, maybe he's simply registered (in legal terms, in his home country) his audio name as a non-profit. That's different than being strictly non-profit.

 

Investopedia definition: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/economicprofit.asp

> An economic profit or loss is the difference between the revenue received from the sale of an output and the opportunity cost of the inputs used. In calculating economic profit, opportunity costs are deducted from revenues earned. Opportunity costs are the alternative returns foregone by using the chosen inputs, and as a result, a person can have a significant accounting profit with little to no economic profit.

The difference between his normal rate and the estimated amp-building rate is opportunity cost. I imagine he makes more than 80/hr normally, and I’m sure he was referring to economic, rather than accounting profit.

 

I don't know how much labor it takes to build his amps but making that cable on his website should not take more than 2 hours (1 is more likely if you know what you're doing) and with the cost of Xhadow XLR's, solder, using the absolute most expensive chassis wiring I know of, he's clearing more than $150 in labor costs per hour on the cables.

 

Not trying to defend Birgir's honesty or anything, and call me a biased owner if you will, but given the incredible sonic performance that the Carbon delivers (IMO superior to BHSE), not to mention its tank solid build quality, I don't think $4600 is overpriced whether he's making a profit or not. Combined with the SR-007MK2/A, they will set you back at about $6500, which is in the same ballpark as other endgame amp/headphone combos I've owned (e.g. Studio/HD650, ZDS/Utopia).

Also, Birgir charges around $2K more for Carbon Certified Crazy (all silver wiring with improved power supply), but I don't think I've heard anyone complain to Donald for asking double the price of Stellaris for Silver Stellaris.

I do think paying $200 extra for the cooler looking stealth black is not worth the money (the same could be said for ZDS), nor $600+ for his handmade silver cables.

It's no secret that he inherently hates all pure tube dynamic headamps (both OTC and OTL) and will invariably shit on them regardless of design. Just take whatever he says in regard to those with a grain of salt. When it comes to stats, however, I still think he's got a lot more say than most out there. I still gotta give him credit for rekindling my love toward stats, which I had once thought would never be possible.

 

I honestly don't get the vibe that Spritzer is trying to shit on competitors products to make his look better, or sell more. I think he genuinely believes everything he says. He just comes across as a major dick doing it is all.

 

Sounds like HFM and KG should make a company called Narcissistic Fi-Stats