Would these be a direct upgrade from the HD800S? How does the bass from the SR1a + Jot R compare to the HD800S?
Direct upgrade for me from my HD800 is the ZMF Verite Open or closed/HEDDPHONES -> SR1A
Bonus side grade to the HD800S
ZMF Aeoulus/Focal Clear/Audeze LCD-X
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Thanks for the info. When you say Verite/HEDDphones “->” SR1A, are you saying that the SR1A is an upgrade from both of those too?
And how would you compare the bass quantity of the HD800 or even Verite to the SR1A?
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Ha! sorry, yes, that is correct assessment.
Honestly, I think the bass is better on the SR1A… @Torq discusses/describes it better in his comments on the different RAAL threads…
My take, is it’s faster and cleaner…depending on angle of the drivers you get more “oomph” so you can dial in your preference. Also they take well to EQ (but I don’t use EQ a lot, so can’t go into detail regarding it).
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I would agree. The bass on the SR1a is the fastest and cleanest I have heard. I don’t use EQ with these “earfield monitors”; they are excellent without it.
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My use of EQ via Loki is recording dependent. Most all digital CD’s I have are fine as is. My analog sourced CD’s vary quite a bit especially those originally recorded in the 50’s and 60’s. Different labels also had different approaches, Decca was always about the best at getting quality bass on their master tapes. Of course I’m referring to classical only genre. And I reference to acoustic bass not electronically augmented bass.
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When I try to play bass frequencies at reasonable listening volumes (https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/, 30Hz and below), the cartridges simply rattle.
Any ideas? I’m running an RME ADI-2 with a Jotunheim R.
30 Hz and below is “sub-bass”.
What is “reasonable listening volumes”? As in, what dB/SPL?
I’ve run my SR1a with major sub-bass, and even bass, lift (as much as +10 dB at 20 Hz, depending on the position of the wings) from various setups, including the Jotunheim R, HSA-1a and more than a dozen amplifiers via the interface box, and never heard any rattling.
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How do I calculate dB/SPL? I am running the ADI-2 line out at -6 dB and Jot R at 12:00 with baffle compensation on.
I’ve listened to music much louder on some other headphones, but on these, the right cartridge makes a rattling noise when I hit sub-bass.
Firegon on SBAF seems to have been experiencing the same issue.
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It’s easier to measure it than calculate it. Especially given the variable positioning of the drivers.
Sounds more like an over-driven ribbon (did you buy them new or used?) or a faulty unit to me.
I’ve had my set for about 10 months now, and have never heard anything resemble a rattle at all. And that’s with some fairly extreme EQ experiments, and an average listening level of 85 dB (as well as a few fuckers that have heard them at my place and blatantly abused them).
No rattles.
At all.
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Okay. I will contact Raal for a replacement cartridge. Thanks for the input.
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Had mine since they came out. I am running them from an SPL s800 amp (287 watts per channel) I have been warned not to turn them up too high, or you can toast the ribbons, so I am careful not to over-drive them. The good new is that the ribbons are easily replaceable and not expensive.
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Aside from the sub-bass rattling I’m having, these really do make a fantastic complement to the Verite Closed.
The Closed have a voluminous, substantial, impactful sound, but still rather precise, with some of the best imaging I’ve ever heard.
The RAALs have a sort of accurate, unfiltered ruthlessness to them, and an unparalleled soundstage. Like an HD800 on steroids. The detail tickles my ears.
Pretty happy with this combo so far. Not sure which one I’ll use more, but I’m leaning towards the VC, as I feel more “surrounded” in sound (probably cup resonance).
Anyone mind posting their EQ curves?
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What angle do y’all tend to keep your cups at? With 0 degrees being perfectly parallel to the side of your head? I would say I’m consistently at or under 30 degrees…
I would say about 15-20 degrees. Sometimes I will vary this a little bit depending on the music.
I’m usually around 30degrees as well, with the angle.
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The volume pot on the Jot R feels soooo good. Schiit did a fantastic job with this.
From here:
Is that the same Alps pot used in the Valhalla? There is no channel imbalance even at the lowest volumes and has a smooth torque feel. Fantastic pot.
It is a 4-gang version of that pot. More than 2X more expensive. Completely custom. It’s not even shown as an option in the Alps catalog.
The only things above the Alps Blue Velvet are exotica like the RK50 ($$$), Spectrol ($$$), the Noble Black (defunct, not made anymore), and then on to craziness like resistor ladders.
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I think the business of finding the right angle for the transducer wings is more a function of how your ears sit in relation to your skull. Are your ears pinned or flying away, and by how much. I think that’s the reasoning behind fully adjustable versus a ratcheted approach. Are your ears identical with respect to splay and height on your skull when you look squarely in the mirror? I also wouldn’t be surprised to find that the height, shape, and positioning of the L and R ear canals themselves might vary. Adjusting the SR1a provides me slightly different perspectives on the sound stage, bass fullness, and overall body of the sound. This is one of the few phone designs that provides those options. Most phones are a “one size fits all”, an approach which rarely seems to work best given the variability of human physiology. You just have to play with it until it sounds right to you, but you can make changes for a little variety.
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I was sent an email yesterday now Drop selling SR1a, it was funny the picture had the new amp as well but they only have the base headphone
Have you got a link to this? Have not seen any pics of the new version.