RAAL-requisite SR1a Has Landed

[AudioDoctor]

Finally read through this...

 

sound pretty amazing. 

[AudioDoctor]

3 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Oh yes. Nothing like them. 

 

Why did you have to do this to me Chris? I was perfectly happy with the system I am assembling for the Susvaras...  haha.

[AudioDoctor]

12 hours ago, Summit said:

 

Tubes from 2009 is not old, and usually tubes don’t blow because of age.

 

Of course not, or there wouldn't be a market for NOS tubes... However, every minute they're being used is a minute closer to their death.

[AudioDoctor]

10 minutes ago, Summit said:

 

Well, maybe you didn’t get my point…

 

1: CC wrote “Fired up the MC275 and immediately blew a tube & fuse”.

2. @PeterG asked CC “Do you know why you blew tube/fuse?”

3. To which CC answer was “Nothing to do with the headphones / interface box. The tubes were from 2009 and were getting long in the tooth.”

4. I wanted to inform that tubes don’t blow because they are old. Or that tubes from 2009 is considered old.

5. Every hour tubes are being used is an hour closer to the end of their life. The end of audio tubes is not ending abrupt and is instead a study degradation of the sound and performance until they both sound and measure bad.

 

No, I understood you just fine. I just assumed the tube had been in use since then... How they stop working is up to each tube.

[AudioDoctor]

You have to keep an eye on those damned Russian tubes... 😉

[AudioDoctor]

Chris, if you find that the REF750s won't run the RAAL's very well, you can always try these also built in MN amps...

 

http://www.atma-sphere.com/Products/#MA-3

[AudioDoctor]

Chris, I have no experience with the RAAL headphones, but the Susvara's on my head right now sound pretty damned good via Roon > HQPlayer > Sonore Sig Rendu SE Optical > DAC > Amp

 

I suppose I could try using HQPlayers volume control as well.

[AudioDoctor]

5 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

NICE! You must try this. However, the benefit will depend on how your amp volume control functions. If you can set it to a certain level that essentially takes it out of the equation, that would be ideal. The cool part about the RAAL is that it uses a regular power amp and those don't have volume controls. I just set the DAC to 100% if it has a volume control, and all is right in the world. 

 

What amp are you using?

 

The Donald North Audio Stellaris Silver Special

 

http://www.dnaudio.com/DNA-Stellaris-2A3-headphone-amplifier.html

 

4 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

wait, @AudioDoctor, why haven't you tried the RAAL? I thought more of you :~)

 

Because I just spent an ungodly amount of money on Headphones, and Amp, and a DAC... 😉

 

Right now I have a volume control in the amp, that when turned to full is completely out of the circuit, and I am using the volume control on the DAC. I will have to research the volume control to see if it is out of the circuit at some point.

 

[AudioDoctor]

and now Chris ( @The Computer Audiophile ) I have to buy a 512 engineering thingamajig and pay the piano movers...

 

😉

[AudioDoctor]

2 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

HA!

 

P.S. 512 should make a headphone specific transformer. 

 

Or a smaller one? My headphone amp has speaker taps as well for its mighty 3.5 watts at 8 ohms...  Right now I am plugging the stuff into a zero surge, but your impressions have me intrigued. Maybe after the pandemic so I can see how things shake out...

[AudioDoctor]

3 hours ago, Blake said:

 

Sorry for the off topic detour but.... damn I am super jealous!.  I have been lusting after the Stellaris for a while a now.  Congrats!

 

 

Yeah, its pretty amazing for sure!

[AudioDoctor]

2 hours ago, agillis said:

 

Quite a few users have asked my if you can run HQplayer and Roon together on our sonicTransporter i9 optical. You can. It has an 8 core processor so there is plenty of CPU power for both Roon and HQplayer.

 

You just answered my question.

 

One more. Can the Sonic Transporter i9 optical really be directly connected to the Signature Rendu SE Optical instead of going through a network device?

[AudioDoctor]

10 hours ago, TubeLover said:

As you should be, I know someone who has one and its clearly worthy of a lifetime audio achievement award. Sublime and almost unreachable for most of us. 

 

JC

 

It doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell of driving the RAALs though.  Ha.

[AudioDoctor]

5 hours ago, ThenewGearPPK said:

Would anyone consider a 150watt tube amp?

 

The MingDa MC368-B150 sells on china-hifi-audio.com for $2,300 plus shipping.

This is the only KT150 tube amplifier that I found that advertises 150 watts.

 

Every other KT150 based tube amp I seen is either 100watts or under. The KT150 is, I think, the most powerful tube on the market for pure wattage.

 

 

 

Really?  None?

 

http://www.rogueaudio.com/Products_m180.htm

 

A pair of these makes 140 watts each with EL-34s, who knows how high that will go with KT150s which they can also run

 

https://www.primaluna-usa.com/primaluna-evo-400-tube-power-amplifier

 

Or the integrated version...

 

https://www.primaluna-usa.com/primaluna-evo-400-tube-integrated

 

McIntosh...

 

https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/products/amplifiers/MC2152AN

 

Go all the way!

 

https://www.balanced.com/vk76se-power-amp

 

I suspect you didn't look very hard and I think there is more to it than a power rating. I think finding an amp with a stout ability to drive a lot of current into the load is more important than the ultimate power rating.

[AudioDoctor]

Chris, HiFiMans amp for the Susvaras puts 12 watts into their 60 ohm load, and 150 watts into 8 ohms in A/B mode, and my amp puts about 3.5 and runs them just fine. This leads me to believe there is more to it than wattage output.

[AudioDoctor]

Hey, maybe the speaker taps in the HiFiMan amp will run the RAALs!

[AudioDoctor]

34 minutes ago, TubeLover said:

Fine suggestions all, but the PrimaLuna (a brand I think rocks for the money) only puts out 70wpc, and only 30 in triode. Either way, several people have found they cannot drive the RAAL's all that well. 

 

But you are, of course, correct about not all power being equal. Still, as I noted in my previous post, the SR1a's are truly quite demanding. 

 

JC

 

You are correct about the Primaluna Integrated putting out 70wpc, but that's with the EL-34 tubes. It will go up with the KT150s which it can also run. The monoblock amplifiers put out 140wpc with the EL-34s.

[AudioDoctor]

1 minute ago, TubeLover said:

Yes, but even going with the KT150's didnt get it done with the RAAL's.

 

ok, now thats info we can use!

[AudioDoctor]

41 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Ha! Now those I could carry in without an issue. The Pass XA160 monoblocks in the basement, not so much 😬

 

It would be much easier to carry the RAALs to the basement... 😉

[AudioDoctor]

1 minute ago, davide256 said:

I owned the piece you are talking about.. it only put out about 35 watts with 2 EL 34 per side,the 70 watts was with KT 150's. The monoblocks tube specification is KT120, 

recognizable from their bottle shape.  To get 140 watts from EL34 can be done if your amplifier uses 4 per side...

 

 

The PrimaLuna Integrated top model has 4 EL34s per side

[AudioDoctor]

Yes, that means 70 watts per channel, meaning it has 70 watts per side from 4 EL34s. I am not arguing that point I am saying that it can also run 4 KT150s per side and it is an AMP that can run KT150s that are not the one the guy posted as being the only one that existed.

 

It is an EXAMPLE of a KT150 AMP that EXISTS. I made no claims to how it will sound...

 

its easy to follow if you read what I was actually replying to...

 

and I used to OWN one of these as well, so we can stop trying to tell me I don't know what I am talking about.

[AudioDoctor]

Here is a rather dubious award for the RAALs to win...

[AudioDoctor]

On 4/17/2020 at 3:28 PM, ThenewGearPPK said:

 

I haven't considered mono amps, but that's a lot of equipment, cables & space to drive one single earspeaker.

 

That McIntosh is the only integrated I see rated at 150watts, but it costs $15,000.

I remember seeing a few others with even more tubes & at even higher prices, but those are't something anyone can realistically buy.

 

 

 

The McIntosh isn't an integrated amp. However, your best bet would be to take note of what others have found works, and go from there.

[AudioDoctor]

1 minute ago, TubeLover said:

Oh, and has anyone heard anything regarding a longer cable being available for the SR1a's? I am in need of one to use it as I would like. 

 

JC

 

Longer speaker cables might solve the problem?

[AudioDoctor]

3 minutes ago, TubeLover said:

Great idea, but I only have one pair of banana to banana speaker cables and they are already in use. Hmmmmmm...........thinking of what high quality (has to be great to be in connection with the RAAL's) banana connected 2m speaker cables I could locate for reasonable money. 

 

JC

 

Blue Jeans Cables