Article: Taking the RAAL-requisite SR1a Headphones To Another Level

[The Computer Audiophile]

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[The Computer Audiophile]

37 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

So Mitch... When can I send you my Susvara to measure?  

 

1 minute ago, mitchco said:

Hi @AudioDoctor please send an email to [email protected] and we can work out the logistics.

 

Kind regards,

Mitch

 

This is getting good already :~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just now, AudioDoctor said:

 

I will, but we have to make them sound better than Chris's RAALs...  ;-)

Ha! Not possible!

 

:~)

[The Computer Audiophile]

26 minutes ago, yyz said:

"What about those who own other headphones? This is where it gets very interesting and the future looks very bright. Accurate Sound can measure almost any type of headphone once, and have the filters available for all consumers with those headphones. I know I sound like the master of the obvious, but I'll just restate that once a headphone is measured, everyone with that headphone can benefit from the filter. There is no room or listening space to measure as there is with our main audio systems. "

 

With my Meze Empy headphones there are 2 sets of pads that came with it, leather and some other material. They sound different, especially in the bass region.

That’s essentially two different headphones because a major part is different. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

8 hours ago, bbosler said:

 

Chris, so related to the last few comments....  how are you implementing the convolution? As I understand it, Roon and HQP do it differently. With Roon you use a zip file that has a stereo file for each of the source rates you use and Roon selects the proper one for the file you are playing. . With HQP you have a mono file for each channel at or above the highest rate you use  I don't know about Audirvana.  HQP does do convolution and upsampling of DSD, and unlike Roon does not convert DSD to PCM to do it then back to DSD. Again, as I understand it from correspondence I've had with Jussi. I'm sure he could explain it better. 

It depends on how I’m listening. 
 

Audirvana with Hang Loose Convolver accepts a zip file with all sample rates, as does Roon. HQP accepts a single filter at whatever rate one wants, in my case 352.8 kHz. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

28 minutes ago, bbosler said:

If I understand your statement you are saying you need to use a filter at the rate you are up-sampling to, which is incorrect. . yes, HQP only accepts a single mono filter for each channel... but according to Jussi, HQP applies convolution at the source rate, not the up-sample rate, so you only need to pick a filter at or above the highest source rate you will be using. 

 

I asked him about this when I had a DAVE. I was using HQP to up-sample to 16fs so was concerned that the Audiolense filters could only go up to 384. His response about using a 384 filter was

 

 Yes, that is fine. Output rate doesn't matter, convolution is performed at the source rate. Except DSD -> PCM case where it is performed at  1/16th of DSD rate.

 

The other part of that is HQP does not use a single stereo file. If you only have a stereo file you need to use a program like Audacity to split it into L-R mono tracks

That’s not what I said. 
 

I supply a 352 kHz filter because it’s the highest rate I have for filters. When using HQP I upsample to 32fs. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

26 minutes ago, ted_b said:

But you did say a single filter. Does HQP accept stereo filters, or did Mitch provide you dual mono ones?  Thx

It’s a single filter split into left and right channel mono files for HQP. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, Jean Paul D said:

But how accurate is the reproduction by a ruler flat headphone when the music has been produced/approved on monitoring speakers such as JBL M2 with the attached in-room response ?

( cf Dr Floyd Toole, https://www.avsforum.com/threads/jbl-m2-master-reference-monitor.1454077/page-214#post-57291428 )

The discrepancies would even be greater if monitoring speakers were tuned to the 10 dB smooth tilt mentioned above.

Do the RAAL accept a bit of bass boost or a tilt to mimic the mastering conditions (on speakers on the vast majority of instances, with headphones called in eventually and only to control certain aspects, not to deliver a final product that would be more accurate or enjoyable via headphones )

I tried bass boost with my AKG 701 and it doesn't like it (distorsions)

I knew you just had to be the same guy who was previously banned. 
 

Bye bye for the second time. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 minute ago, skatbelt said:

@The Computer Audiophile why didn't you send your own SR1a to @mitchco? RAAL does driver matching but differences between SR1a's can potentially be significant. And, what about the different angle positions of the drivers and their implications on the response / correction needs?

Good questions. 
 

1. I don’t believe driver differences are big enough to demand measurements of each individual headphone. 
 

2. Mitch measured them extensively using several different positions of the headphones and didn’t find much difference. Mitch can jump in with better information. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

8 hours ago, ajay556 said:

I will be demoing the Raal SR1a's this weekend at my local store. Would the SR1a sound change as much as regular speakers with different audio gear? Just wondering if I should request to listen with my equipment at home?

Yes. They are like a microscope and reveal everything about the equipment upstream. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Fortunately, bringing the SR1a home in the supplied Pelican case is much easier than a pair of Wilson Alexia speakers :~)

 

I wish there was a way for people to use @mitchco’s filters during their demo with these headphones. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, Vangelis said:

Chris, in listing of the system bits for your listening sessions, I did not see which RAAL headphone cable you’re using. Are using the RAAL silver into your interface and if so was the Silver upgrade apparent into the interface?

Thanks

I only have the stock cable. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

6 hours ago, ajay556 said:

I tried the Raal's this weekend. The Raals were connected to the Macintosh 50 watt headphone amplifier. The music sounded thin and did not have formidable soundstage. The salesman switched to a Rotel 200 watt receiver. The music still sounded thin but the sound stage improved a little. Overall, it was not in par with my expectations. I think I need to spend more time with better amplifier to get a handle on its potential. The dealer said I could take it home for couple of days. Maybe will try again next weekend.

Thanks for the report. Yes, you really should use a better amp. I tried my McIntosh MC275 with the SR1a and the experience wasn’t the best. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, TooSteep said:

With just a laptop, a Jotunheim R and a pair of SR1a's, is there a good way to run Mitch's filter with a quality lossless source?

 

I.e., what is the minimum software required to try out his filter with the Raal-Requisites without using a server and streamer/endpoint?

Sure. Any app that supports convolution filters will work. Roon, JRiver, etc…