RAAL-requisite SR1a Has Landed

[TubeLover]

Now I'm pondering whether I might gain some enhancement in performance replacing those cheesy cables that RAAL provides to connect between the adapter box and your amps with a good quality 2m speaker cable. That may make more sense than dropping the $300.00 on an extension cable?

 

Chris, did you note any change at all when you switched those out with speaker cables during the review?

 

JC

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, TubeLover said:

Now I'm pondering whether I might gain some enhancement in performance replacing those cheesy cables that RAAL provides to connect between the adapter box and your amps with a good quality 2m speaker cable. That may make more sense than dropping the $300.00 on an extension cable?

 

Chris, did you note any change at all when you switched those out with speaker cables during the review?

 

JC

 

 

Yes, I used a very high quality cable when I switched for a while and loved what I heard. 

[MrCypruz]

13 minutes ago, TubeLover said:

Now I'm pondering whether I might gain some enhancement in performance replacing those cheesy cables that RAAL provides to connect between the adapter box and your amps with a good quality 2m speaker cable. That may make more sense than dropping the $300.00 on an extension cable?

 

Chris, did you note any change at all when you switched those out with speaker cables during the review?

 

JC

 

 

My advice would be to save the $$ of the speaker cable and buy RAAL-requisite’a own direct drive amp for the SR1a and get an extension cable. The performance that you get from the HSA-1a plus the versatility (ability to drive both types of ribbon headphones, normal headphones with both low and high efficiency plus speakers) is just hard to beat. For one to get that kind of performance from a speaker amp+interface box, one would probably need a $20k+ amp. This is just my suggestion based on my experience with a few speaker amps and two direct drive amps. 

[tedwoods]

11 hours ago, TubeLover said:

Now I'm pondering whether I might gain some enhancement in performance replacing those cheesy cables that RAAL provides to connect between the adapter box and your amps with a good quality 2m speaker cable. That may make more sense than dropping the $300.00 on an extension cable?

 

Chris, did you note any change at all when you switched those out with speaker cables during the review?

 

JC

 

 

I've heard the RAALs yesterday in a system of a good friend.

He was driving them with a SOtM class D amp with Tellurium Q short "jumper" speaker cables into the adapter box.

Quite the experience!!!

[MrCypruz]

14 hours ago, MrCypruz said:

 

I got a 6ft extension from RAAL for $299 plus shipping, the total length is about 11ft now. The extension was well worthy for my needs. 

I would like to correct my post, I paid $210 for the 6ft extension cable plus shipping. 

[TubeLover]

21 hours ago, MrCypruz said:

My advice would be to save the $$ of the speaker cable and buy RAAL-requisite’a own direct drive amp for the SR1a and get an extension cable. The performance that you get from the HSA-1a plus the versatility (ability to drive both types of ribbon headphones, normal headphones with both low and high efficiency plus speakers) is just hard to beat. For one to get that kind of performance from a speaker amp+interface box, one would probably need a $20k+ amp. This is just my suggestion based on my experience with a few speaker amps and two direct drive amps. 

Thanks for the suggestion, and the extension cable price correction.

 

I'm very glad that you are enjoying the RAAL HSA-1a, and the Earspeakers so much, together. But, based on my own experiences, and those reviewers I've discussed it with, I truly think a very good tube amp is what is necessary to take the SR1a's to the ultimate level. Surely you've read the comments by Chris about his use of the AR VT80SE tube amp. 

 

 I'm sure the RAAL amp is a great value at it's price. They clearly do good stuff. But I don't personally know of a solid state amp under $25k that could even attempt to equal what I'm hearing, and even then, it would lose the battle in the end. And when I break out my Conrad Johnson  ART tube amp and use that to drive them, it's literally game over. Granted, thats an entirely different price range, to be fair. But again, different strokes for different folks.In the end, it is extremely dependent on the sound you desire. I would, though, highly recommend you try to listen to your RAAL's on a good tube amp, possibly one owned by a friend, or a member of a local audio group, or a brick and mortar dealer who lets you try it in their shop. Just to give you a perspective.  

 

I have a good friend that demands very fast, lean, dry, extremely dynamic and analytical sound. He has a very expensive, audio system that people who receive demos of are usually greatly impressed by. And, initially, I am always impressed too, but I can only listen to it for five to ten minutes before I start getting a headache and literally have to leave the room. But hey, he's happy and loves his 30-40 minute long listening sessions. I enjoy my 3-4 hour listening sessions. What can I say? 

 

JC 

[TubeLover]

10 hours ago, tedwoods said:

I've heard the RAALs yesterday in a system of a good friend.

He was driving them with a SOtM class D amp with Tellurium Q short "jumper" speaker cables into the adapter box.

Quite the experience!!!

Was that an SOtM SPA-1000is amp, by chance? I hear they are quite an exceptional value. 

 

JC

[tedwoods]

2 hours ago, TubeLover said:

Was that an SOtM SPA-1000is amp, by chance? I hear they are quite an exceptional value. 

 

JC

Yes, that was the one!

The combination was otherworldly good... not to mention tempting 😍

[Summit]

8 hours ago, TubeLover said:

Thanks for the suggestion, and the extension cable price correction.

 

I'm very glad that you are enjoying the RAAL HSA-1a, and the Earspeakers so much, together. But, based on my own experiences, and those reviewers I've discussed it with, I truly think a very good tube amp is what is necessary to take the SR1a's to the ultimate level. Surely you've read the comments by Chris about his use of the AR VT80SE tube amp. 

 

 I'm sure the RAAL amp is a great value at it's price. They clearly do good stuff. But I don't personally know of a solid state amp under $25k that could even attempt to equal what I'm hearing, and even then, it would lose the battle in the end. And when I break out my Conrad Johnson  ART tube amp and use that to drive them, it's literally game over. Granted, thats an entirely different price range, to be fair. But again, different strokes for different folks.In the end, it is extremely dependent on the sound you desire. I would, though, highly recommend you try to listen to your RAAL's on a good tube amp, possibly one owned by a friend, or a member of a local audio group, or a brick and mortar dealer who lets you try it in their shop. Just to give you a perspective.  

 

I have a good friend that demands very fast, lean, dry, extremely dynamic and analytical sound. He has a very expensive, audio system that people who receive demos of are usually greatly impressed by. And, initially, I am always impressed too, but I can only listen to it for five to ten minutes before I start getting a headache and literally have to leave the room. But hey, he's happy and loves his 30-40 minute long listening sessions. I enjoy my 3-4 hour listening sessions. What can I say? 

 

JC 

 

Keep in mind that audio signal will have to pass through the amplifier interface box, which will degrade SQ. What I'm trying to say is that even if we would use a “better amp” the outcome will be limited to the quality of interface box and I'm not convinced it is top-notch. It’s like using a midfi preamp in a high end audio system. With a direct-drive amp no interface box is needed so a good direct driven amp may sound as good or better than the SOTA amp paired with the interface box. 

[ted_b]

1 hour ago, Summit said:

 

Keep in mind that audio signal will have to pass through the amplifier interface box, which will degrade SQ. What I'm trying to say is that even if we would use a “better amp” the outcome will be limited to the quality of interface box and I'm not convinced it is top-notch. It’s like using a midfi preamp in a high end audio system. With a direct-drive amp no interface box is needed so a good direct driven amp may sound as good or better than the SOTA amp paired with the interface box. 

Which leads to the question: what are the good tube-based direct-drive amps out there, if any?

 

My SR1as arrive this coming week; my Jot-R is here and waiting.

[The Computer Audiophile]

I really love the fact that we can use both direct drive and regular power amps with the SR1a. I wonder if anyone will build a flagship ribbon / amp interface box. I believe the one included with the headphones is good, but can it be made better?

[cfisher]

51 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I really love the fact that we can use both direct drive and regular power amps with the SR1a. I wonder if anyone will build a flagship ribbon / amp interface box. I believe the one included with the headphones is good, but can it be made better?

 

Dude on the Head-Fi thread was threatening to build an improved interface but it struck me as a lot of bluster.

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/raal-ribbon-headphones-srh1a.890603/page-129#post-15476478

[The Computer Audiophile]

24 minutes ago, cfisher said:

 

Dude on the Head-Fi thread was threatening to build an improved interface but it struck me as a lot of bluster.

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/raal-ribbon-headphones-srh1a.890603/page-129#post-15476478

I purposely left out his idea. That's Mike Mivera from Mivera Audio. He has been banned from many sites, including this one about 5 times. I would never do business with him and will never recommend anyone do business with him. 

[cfisher]

5 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I purposely left out his idea. That's Mike Mivera from Mivera Audio. He has been banned from many sites, including this one about 5 times. I would never do business with him and will never recommend anyone do business with him. 

 

Feel free to delete, then. I didn't know. Not surprised from the tone of the conversation.

[TubeLover]

2 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I really love the fact that we can use both direct drive and regular power amps with the SR1a. I wonder if anyone will build a flagship ribbon / amp interface box. I believe the one included with the headphones is good, but can it be made better?

Chris, I'm with you here. I don't know if the interface box presents any limitation on sound quality. If it does, it's difficult to imagine that even better sound with the RAAL's is possible.

 

I dont have any reason to believe that RAAL skimped on the interface box, in any way, but it would be great to know. I've been hoping that one of the more technically experienced members of the forum might evaluate it and tell us. It's my understanding that the box simply adjusts the load that the SR1a's present to the amplifier. I would guess that can be done fairly easily, but I'm no expert, nor do I play one on tv. 

 

JC

[TubeLover]

3 hours ago, ted_b said:

Which leads to the question: what are the good tube-based direct-drive amps out there, if any?

 

My SR1as arrive this coming week; my Jot-R is here and waiting.

Ted, to my knowledge, your Jotunheim is the only direct-drive amplifier out there that eliminates the interface box. 

 

JC

[RickyV]

5 minutes ago, TubeLover said:

Ted, to my knowledge, your Jotunheim is the only direct-drive amplifier out there that eliminates the interface box. 

 

JC

https://raalrequisite.com/amplifiers/hsa-1a/

 

 

[TubeLover]

Just now, RickyV said:

https://raalrequisite.com/amplifiers/hsa-1a/

 

 

Corrected. Since we were already discussing the hsa-1a, I did not include it. I should have also added besides that amp for accuracy. 

 

JC

[The Computer Audiophile]

@TubeLover These albums are a must on the RAALs. Listening tonight in amazement. 
 

 

[TubeLover]

7 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

@TubeLover These albums are a must on the RAALs. Listening tonight in amazement. 
 

 

Thanks for the recommendations Chris, will check them out asap. And, of course, I do absolutely know the feeling. I keep coming across recordings that I know extremely well, that, for any number of reasons, just blow me away on the RAAL's. There is either great clarity to portions of the music, an instrument that appears out of nowhere in a way I never heard before, or a sense of life and depth that never previously imagined. 

 

JC 

[tapatrick]

12 hours ago, TubeLover said:

Ted, to my knowledge, your Jotunheim is the only direct-drive amplifier out there that eliminates the interface box. 

 

JC

Can someone please clarify what's needed to run the RAALs?

- is it either a +100watt amp > interface box > headphones

or

- Jotunheim > headphones

 

So if you don't have a +100watt amp the Jotunheim + headphones would be the sensible route..?

[LowOrbit]

2 hours ago, tapatrick said:

Can someone please clarify what's needed to run the RAALs?

- is it either a +100watt amp > interface box > headphones

or

- Jotunheim > headphones

 

So if you don't have a +100watt amp the Jotunheim + headphones would be the sensible route..?

Yes  - Raal will sell you a combo of SR1a and the Jotunheim R (I think rebranded as Raal FOS (Full of Schiit)). That way, if you have no intention of using speaker amps in the future, you don't buy the interface box. You can also buy with that, for flexibility should you anticipate that you might explore the limits of the earfield monitors over time.

 

I can't comment yet on the Jotunheim R for performance, mine is shipping today. 

[tapatrick]

32 minutes ago, LowOrbit said:

Yes  - Raal will sell you a combo of SR1a and the Jotunheim R (I think rebranded as Raal FOS (Full of Schiit)). That way, if you have no intention of using speaker amps in the future, you don't buy the interface box. You can also buy with that, for flexibility should you anticipate that you might explore the limits of the earfield monitors over time.

 

I can't comment yet on the Jotunheim R for performance, mine is shipping today. 

Thanks @LowOrbit I do have a low wattage tube amp driving my speakers already, so doesn't seem to make sense to get another amp plus an interface box. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Jot..

[Summit]

On 5/3/2020 at 4:38 PM, ted_b said:

Which leads to the question: what are the good tube-based direct-drive amps out there, if any?

 

My SR1as arrive this coming week; my Jot-R is here and waiting.

 

There are a few direct drive tube amps, but they are for driving electrostatics which are voltage drive as opposite SR1a and planar which are mainly limited by current. Probably best to ask someone like Kevin Gilmore about this kind of questions.

 

This is what Torq said:

“Tubes are much better at voltage drive than they are at supplying current, so you’d need a topology and tube choice that could handle such current levels to drive the SR1a directly - which is a totally different design approach to existing tube amplifiers and much harder to do there, than it is in solid-state design.”

 

https://forum.headphones.com/t/raal-requisite-sr1a-earfield-monitor-headphone-official-thread/3220/744

[The Computer Audiophile]

FedEx just dropped the Schiit Audio J-R. The week is off to a great start.