I am happy enough with my Yggy > Kenzie amp > HD800S that I am in no rush to get the SR1a but I can see that purchase sometime next year when the Jotunheim R comes out. I had been considering upgrading my amp to an Eddie Current Studio Jr but I put that on hold when the SR1a came out.
From this thread I feel that the only phone that I would really prefer over the HD800S are the SR1a. Have to get them to be certain and nice to have the return option if for some reason they did not work for me, not that I expect that. I have considered Verite and Abyss but both those phones would benefit from a new amp may as well wait until the Jotunheim R is in production and we get some good feedback.
I can certainly understand the desire to have all three headphones for some people. There are all quite different in their presentations and strengths.
It’s not a desire I would personally share - largely because I can’t think of any situation in which I’d wind up using the HE1000se with the SR1a and a Vérité on hand. But that’s a product of my preferences and experiences, and I’d simply substitute a different headphone for the HE1000se (probably the RAD-0 or the LCD-4 or maybe the Susvara in my case).
The combination of just the Vérité (open or closed) and the SR1a cover me for my primary modes of musical enjoyment. Those are really the only two headphones I feel I “need” at this time. They get the vast majority of my at-home, listening-for-pleasure, time.
Which is not to say I don’t have other headphones I enjoy as well, I do, my Utopia, RAD-0, LCD-4, MySphere and Stellia aren’t going anywhere … but they’re not “necessary” in the same way I find the SR1a and Vérité at this point.
At the last moment of pulling the trigger… I bailed. It’s because of reports of the drivers bottoming out at the low sub bass notes at relatively high volumes 99~ dB, this is not an issue if your music doesn’t has such notes but for me I listen to a lot of dynamic orchestral pieces and soundtracks like Hans Zimmer’s and they really go up to +100dB of pure sub bass rumbles. I had this issue with the Focal Elex and it was a bummer and I don’t want to face that especially at this price range. I will wait for now for the next version or the Schiit combo.
I just want to share my research because it can be a deal breaker for some who listen to such music at high volumes like I do.
I haven’t managed to “bottom-out” my SR1a, even with very “enthusiastic” listening levels (which tend to creep up over time with most other headphones) of some very bass-heavy music (and even when I was still running a significant bass-boosting EQ profile).
Do you know what amplification was being used?
Also, it’s worth noting that at 99 dB as an average listening point, irreversible hearing damage will start to set in within as little as 20 minutes.
Oddly, one of the first things I did with the SR1a, based on how articulate and detailed the bass was, was to try and get them to reproduce the impact, feel and LEVEL of bass from my AB-1266 Phi CC … and I largely succeeded … to the point I listed the Abyss for sale (withdrawn from sale due to the bottom falling out of their resale value due to their non-upgradability to the TC version … the difference isn’t worth >$3,000)
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This is one headphone that you need to actually hear, in the context of an amplifier, music and listening-level, you’ll actually be using, to make any sensible assessment of!
No I don’t listen this loud, my most listening in the 80sdB but for some classical and soundtracks I go to the ~93dB but those tracks have large dynamic swings up to +12dB. You can go crazy with EQ if your tracks don’t have those low sub bass notes, I made my elex bass cannons with most EDM tracks with some EQ but they usually fail to play the other tracks I mentioned above.
You can test this (at you’re own risk ) with this track
“Deku palace theophany remix” at the 6:13 minutes there is strong bass rumbles.
Please share how did you manage to get the SR1a to Abyss impact, feel and level of bass. I might try that to hear how the SR1a will sound albeit being perfectly happy without any EQ whatsoever.
Though exactly how I had that setup changed with different amplifiers and eventually became something I don’t bother with unless I’m specifically in the mood for it (rare).
I built profiles in both EQuilibrium and Roon for this.
The profile I used was principally from 35 Hz down (since that’s where the SR1a really taper off), with between 6 and 10 dB of boost by the time we’re down to 20 Hz, depending on where I have the drivers positioned.
I haven’t really felt the need for any EQ above that, and even the above only gets used sporadically now … most of the time I just listen as-is.
I’ll try that later today. 80 - 120 Hz was probably too much and completely unnecessary based on my experience with the SR1a but that 6 - 10 dB bump on <35 Hz makes sense.
Thanks again.
Off topic: M Scaler + Dave + Phonitor X + Utopia is a wild combo. I find myself spending a lot more time with the Utopia than before (the SR1a is still the Lord of MrCypruz’ Headtime).
I’ve had the Raal SR1a “earfield speakers” for several weeks now. Requisite, the distributor told me that 200 hours break-in is recommended. Anyone have a different opinion?
My chain is Roon Nucleus > dCS Bartok > SPL s800 > Raal SR1a. I am getting the feeling that the SR1a are “training” my ears and my brain to like their performance. I find that the Focal Utopias are not as appealing as before. Perhaps this is a temporary phenomenon, or perhaps each is better suited to a different style or genre of music? Most of my listening is from Tidal Masters and Qobuz Hi-Rez, am trying to determine which service suits me best. My interim conclusion is that my listening pleasure is far more dependent on the performance, the quality of the recording and the mastering. I am in the process of re-listening to my entire catalog of music with my SR1a setup, and I can tell you it is a joy to hear things in familiar recordings that I have never heard before.
I’ve read the same in regard to break-in requirements, I think from a post by one of the designers (Alex). The recommendation was 200 hours of pink-noise I think.
I didn’t bother.
They sounded excellent from first listen and the only thing I really noticed over time was that I was progressively dialing back my initial sub-bass EQ boost. I suspect that was, as much as anything, down to different amplification along the way as well.
I gave it about 5 hours of pink noise then gave up on that, as I just wanted to listen. I can’t imagine that it could get much better, so my burn-in time will be spent listening.
That is actually the drivers “loosening up” to the rated base frequency. Basically you get about 10hz worth of extra sub-bass range between out of the box and about 100-200 hours in. Presumably you also get a bit more bass at the 40-100hz range as well.
I wouldn’t worry about it either way, I never burned mine in and when I had a production version and a (months old) review pair I couldn’t really tell any difference between them about a dozen hours in.
Last night I tried the 10 dB bass boost below 35 Hz and it did make a small difference to the bottom end. It felt like it gave a little more “robustness and fullness” that I wasn’t aware that was “missing”.
My journey with the SR1a (M Scaler + Dave + Performer s800 in the chain) has been nothing short of special, I feel like I’m listening to some of the most familiar songs in my collection not for the first time, but with a special presentation where everything is just there, presented naturally without any sort of exaggeration and effortlessly. I find myself getting sidetracked by the music every time I try to get some work done, and before I know it, it’s already stupidly too late to even be awake. This headphones set the bar and my expectations outrageously high for my next open-back acquisition, if any at all (excluding SR1b/SR2a).
Most of the times I wish I could express with words what I feel while listening to them but I just can’t find nor come up with the desired articulation to describe it. I truly wish that every person seriously invested in headphones Hi-fi/Summit-Fi should experience the SR1a in a proper setup.
I still can’t fathom how RAAL-requisite managed to come up with such a great product. Hats off!!
No, this isn’t about a big shark coming back for his noon feeding … just something I wanted to put here in case you don’t see the other couple of posts I’ve made about it (and ahead of me starting the official thread for it) …
Jason was kind enough to send me a “production qualifier” unit for the Schiit “Jotunheim R” (sometimes referred to as “Weldenheim”) … a direct-drive amplifier for the SR1a.
Direct-drive means no need for speaker amps, speaker cables or the RAAL interface box.
I’ll be patiently waiting for your impressions and/or the thread… this is definitely a game changer IF the sound is on par with (at least) two Vidars in dual-mono configuration. Yes, I’m Intentionally being way too demanding. Lol
)
) with this track
