HiFiMAN Deva-Pro Over-Ear Full-Size Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphone with Bluetooth Dongle/Receiver, Himalaya R2R Architecture DAC, Easily Switch Between Wired and Wireless, Bluetooth 5.0

Product Information

My first impressions of the Deva Pro were that they reminded me a lot of the HE400se (a headphone that I am very fond of and is my highest recommendation at its price point). After some more detailed listening, the sound is not identical to the HE400se but it is very similar, at least in my opinion, with some slight changes that could actually be dependent on the pad difference between the two units. I haven’t yet tried swapping pads between them (I believe they fit but I'm not sure) but it would be an interesting experiment. The Deva Pro as a bluetooth headphone, it is good, but when it is being used as a wired headphone, the performance is even better as it is scaling with your amp and dac setup.

The midrange is again – quite neutral, but a touch different in terms of timbre than the 400i. While I described the latter as very neutral and uncolored, the Deva takes a slight step towards being warm and full-bodied sounding. Don’t expect the body or warmth of Audeze headphones though, as it is subtle here in the Deva. There is also a status LED at the bottom, though voice-prompts are there as well to let you know when the BlueMini has connected, disconnected, or put in pairing mode. Finally, there is a mic at the bottom. It’s serviceable at best with a compressed-sounding voice and little noise cancellation. The single button, status LED, type-C port, and microphone are placed at the bottom of the module. The Bluemini R2R also allows you to output digital audio directly into the Deva Pro via its USB-DAC functionality. This can apply to a wide range of digital audio-compatible devices such as PC, Mac, and OTG via Android. That signal will be decoded by the onboard DAC and converted into an analog signal for passing onto the amp chipset. For wireless and digital connectivity, simply plug in the supplied Bluemini module. This not only gives you Bluetooth connectivity, but also features a built-in DAC (Digital to Analogue Convertor) and USB input – perfect for connecting your computer. However, we are not just comparing sound, there are so many other things that fit into the equation. Where the HE400se are a simple set of headphones, the Deva Pro comes bundled with the Bluemini R2R. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities, giving them not only the possibility of being used as a bluetooth headphone (along with a mic for calls), they can also be used via USB, all while featuring a Himalaya R2R architecture DAC.And just because a headphone is wireless doesn’t mean it “HAS TO BE for commuting &/or strenuous physical activity”! Having around the house headphones that are wireless is MASSIVELY convenient, and ESPECIALLY so when they have 2x device simultaneous Bluetooth multipoint support like the Deva Pro’s do here! So, the Deva Pro face an identity crisis and do not excel as Bluetooth headphones or as wired planar-magnetic headphones. One potential use-case could be having them as an all-in-one solution, but then you are sacrificing the lifestyle features of the best wireless headphones and the sound quality of the best wired headphones. This is also why it didn’t surprise me that the onboard microphone does a bad job at capturing the voice: it was added for convenience, not to be the best in class. Nonetheless, I think that if you include a feature on a product you have to make it work right, otherwise it’s best if you don’t include it at all (right, Cayin?). The DEVA’s make great ‘at home’ headphones, too. Supplied with a 3.5mm cable (with 6.35mm adapter), simply connect to your headphone amp at home and enjoy top quality, analogue sound.

So, the actual build quality of the Deva Pro is pretty good, absolutely no complaints here. The headband regulation feels sturdy yet smooth, the weight distribution is excellent and every part that touches your skin feels pleasant. Also, they feel like they could take a beating, quite substantial in hand and not at all fragile. It feels more premium and durable than the 400se for example, as it should, considering the price gap. It takes about 3 hours to charge the battery fully. It is possible, however, to use the headphones in the meantime by using a USB-C cable, as the Bluemini R2R works as a USB DAC as well as a Bluetooth one. Sound & SpecsThat change also helps modern music quite a bit. Let’s talk The Weeknd “After Hours”. I’m not gonna talk about the pure awesomeness of this album, as I believe everyone knows what I’m talking about. The bass is rich, full-bodied, expressive, and very well-controlled. It is definitely not a bass-light headphone, nor it’s boosted like the majority of Bluetooth headphones on the market. It feels just right, having authority and rumble that is really desirable in a Bluetooth pair of headphones. However, thanks to the Stealth Magnets and the new Bluemini R2R, the resolution and detail are on the level never seen in a Bluetooth pair of headphones…well, basically ever. Once you’ve plugged the BlueMini into the Deva, it’s time for you to connect the headphones to a compatible Bluetooth device. To initiate the pairing process, I simply pressed and held down the power button for a few seconds. From there, I went into my Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s Bluetooth menu and selected headphones. The whole process took about 5 seconds. It was the same process connecting the cans to my MacBook Pro. Midrange is neutral toned, vocals and instruments sound balanced and even, exactly in the way that they were recorded without extra emphasis from the headphone, so don't expect it to sound colored and mid - centric. I’ve mostly tested the HiFiMAN Deva using my laptop computer, an HP EliteBook 745 G5, running Linux with modules that enable high-quality codecs such as LDAC on PulseAudio. Source files were mostly FLACs in CD resolution. HiFiMAN Deva

I didn't have super high expectations for these at this price, but the feature set made me very interested (and I've followed Hifiman for awhile now)! I love the idea of not being tied to a desktop amp/dac (hence my love for the FiiO BTR5) and possibly no cables... I ran them non-stop on my tube desktop set up for ~40 hrs before listening, here's what I found with each connection type:

If you want to commission a custom cable if ever you need different connector types (balanced and such), cable material, or others, just send HIFIMAN a message on Facebook and they’ll send the pinout immediately.

At the beginning of 2021, I had the chance to review the Ananda Bluetooth, a more expensive set of Bluetooth headphones from the brand. The Ananda BT were far from perfect but they still remain the best sounding set of Bluetooth headphones I have heard to date. They were priced at over 1000€ at the time and, although the price has dropped since then, they still remain a quite an expensive set of Bluetooth headphones with a few quirks that didn’t convince everyone. On the subject of driver grills SPECIFICALLY though, if they are made of plastic with any amount of flex like with say the HiFiMan’s HE400se’s, you can permanently KILL the drivers just by accidentally putting moderate pressure on the driver grills EVEN JUST ONE TIME!

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Anyway the treble is mostly smooth and controlled with excellent extension and can resolve some fine detail without sounding analytical.