RAAL-requisite HSA-1b - Switch Drive Amplifier Review

What RCA cables would you recommend for under $500 /pair?

I see from a recent ad on hifishark that the HSA-1b has been updated including an external input attenuation selector.

Anyone know what happened to the tube amps? Just a normal covid delay?

there is no such thing on their website so I would be careful here

Very, very early units had the gain changer on the top left front if memory serves. Maybe even pre 1b.

it seems this is going to be the new version of the 1B coming out shortly

Have my eye on this posting as I’m intrigued about it’s versatility. Potentially getting an SR1A, LCDR, or Mysphere would be a fun bit.

Has anybody heard this amp with Sus/1266 Phi TC/HE6 via the ribbon output and compared with other tier HP amps? Comparing it to Niimbus, V550, Volot, Soloist 3GT, Oor+Hypsos…

My primary concern is typically these swiss army knife amps that can do all are decent to good at everything but not great at anything (e.g.Audiovalve Solaris). Just thinking the HSA-1b might be decent for something but not great for speakers and planars.

Further up in this thread @Torq posted his review and made some comments on the amp when used with traditional headphones, including those that were better with the adapter out of the ribbon output. It may be in the HSA-1a review thread.

I have not owned the Sus/1266 when I owned the HSA-1b, but I did listen to other dynamic driver/planar headphones, including Verite Closed and RAD-O. My impressions aligned with Torq’s that the signature was slightly warm, but everything was very well driven. There seemed to me no shortage of power, the drivers were handled technically very well. I found it too warm with the VC, but take that with a grain of salt, anything listened to next to the SR1a can initially sound warm.

I also used it with some very inefficient speakers (87db) and found it very nice near field but inadequate for filling the room. I’d suggest considering it only with efficient speakers if you want it to utilize all of its functions.

My opinion is at $2800 that is a great price and if you plan to own SR1a and other planars, get it. Adding speakers for near field is frosting.

It’s a fantastic amp

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the hsa-1b is an excellent all around amp…with the adapter it can drive the susvara or the abyss TC quite well and it is special with the sr1a…

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I sold that amp recently, perhaps to that seller (same serial number). It’s a great amp and I can attest to the fact that at least when I sold it, it was in a fantastic condition. I sold it because I was selling the SR1a earspeakers. I also tried it with HEDDphones and it worked really well with them; tons of power.

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I guess my curiosity was how the hsa-1b paired with sus/1266 phi tc relative to other amps priced in the same tier.

Niimbus, v550, Oor +Hypsos, Volot, Soloist 3GT are all in my budget.

I will eventually try my sphere , SR1a, LCDR but that would be a secondary use case. I like the idea of added flexibility of the ribbon output. But don’t want it to come as the expense of overall sq with planars.

The audiovalve Solaris is the first equivalent example that comes to mind. It’s a tube amp handles estats, speaker taps, planars and even has an onboard Dac and phono. But everything it does is just ok and much better individual units can be had at lower price points.

This brings up a similar concern for me about this amp.

I think it is better than the 550 which I had briefly…If I didnt own the sr1a I wouldnt own it because it really is meant for the sr1a and as an added bonus it does a nice job with other HP’s

Hey Raal fans or interested:

A friend over on Head-fi is selling an SR1a and HSA-1b for $5000.

Raal SR-1A+HSA-1B

FYI, I confirmed this is the new HSA-1b with the gain switch on the back rather than internal. This is a great deal IMO.

Hey there, WOW! This is an excellent post, thank you so much @Torq

We’re excited to be present here in a more official capacity now and we’d like to take a moment to announce some new products within this community but it appears we cannot create a new thread. Does some one have a moment to PM this account or the associated email to offer some assistance.

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Gotcha covered :slight_smile:
You should be able to create one now.

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Welcome to the Community! You’ve got some fans here, I am one of them.

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Hello and welcome @RAAL-requisite.

Now tell us more about the much-awaited CR1a :wink:

haha, we’ll have something more towards the middle/end of May

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2 posts were merged into an existing topic: RAAL-requisite: The Official VM-1a Thread

So after reading @Torq 's review, I tried connecting my LCD-X via the “ribbon” output w/ the provided RAAL adapter. And while I love the much improved dynamics there is a very audible hum that is being picked up that is ruining the experience. Any ideas on how to fix this ?

It may be that the LCD-X are too sensitive for the adapter and ribbon output. Most headphones are and are better suited to the standard output. Do you get the hum from the regular XLR or 1/4 inch outputs? (And I am not sure if it is specifically a sensitivity issue or an impedance issue).

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