15 hours ago, spritzer said:

Yes, the Shangri-La Jr. is trash.  It is just a slightly warmed over Jade with a worse headband and all the same issues.  There is no proper baffle seal on them so it is as if the sound just hangs there, just so ever slightly out of reach.  Very much lacking in engagement and any real presence.  If it were 500$ or less, might have some slight merit but at the current price you can do so much better. 

The EX-1a is for instance at a similar price point and difference in sound quality and build is miles apart.  I've been spending a lot of time with them over the weekend (as the next big purchase is incoming today...  ) and they are excellent.  The headband isn't exactly comfy but as a homage to the older Stax style (similar to the SR-X1) they succeed nicely.  They don't have the bass of the ES-2a due to the much smaller drivers, but at not lacking in anyway.  Similar, slightly laid back, presentation and far more neutral than any of the recent Stax stuff.  

The closest set that springs to mind was a few sets of Pro bias SR-5's I built years with Gamma Pro drivers.  Excellent extension, very good midrange and an ever so slightly euphonic sound signature.  The Stax SR-X1 goes after that same sound signature but the EX-1a just does it better. 

 

Do you mean the Mini Shangri-La? The Shangri-La Jr is $4000 while the Mini is $1100.

I've tried the Jr but it sounded similar to the Mini so I didn't it was worth spending $4000 over it. Then I saw the ES-2a but with half the price and better build quality.

Edited March 31, 20251 yr by psyduck

I lumped them all in together but they are all utterly overpriced with crap performance.  The Sr. just baffles me, how anybody could say they are high end.  I spent 5 minutes with them and they are so utterly unremarkable and outclassed by pretty much everything at 1/10th the price.  Jr. would be okey at a much lower price, with a better cable and earpads but still only Koss ESP950 level of performance.  Both also suffer from a fatal flaw which will likely kill all of them, the drivers oxidize.  

Jade and Mini are the same thing really and again... I'd take a Koss ESP950 over them with better earpads. 

I’ve got my ES2a for a while now.  The biggest improvement over the ES1a, in my opinion, is the headband.  With the proper clamping force, they don’t fall off my head like the ES1a.  So, I ordered the new headband to replace the one on my ES1a.  Now my ES1a feels like different headphones.  It’s well worth the upgrade.  😄

 

That's a brilliant idea!!    They were always a bit too loose on my melon of a head.  

+1 es lab user here