Thanks Ian. My music taste sounds a lot like yours. I do like a lot of music from 60’s and 70’s also.
If I spent around $1000-1500 for DAC, what do you think would be a good match for the Raal### Denafrips, Schitt audio or something else?And do you feel the sound improvement would be worth it for me to get the Raal amp over the Schitt? I do not like to keep changing equipment.
Again just you ideas no absolutes.
Craig
Out of the gate, I’d say Schiit Bifrost 2. It’s a perfect complement to the Jotunheim R, if you go that way on amplification. And it’s a pretty nice match with the SR1a regardless of amplification choice.
Nothing else really stands out for me in the $1,000-$1,500 bracket, unless buying used.
The RME ADI-2 DAC fs (4493) is a nice unit. And it has on-board EQ, in case you want it and don’t have it available from your source. The crossfeed functionality is rather nice with the SR1a as well (again, if your source doesn’t provide that capability).
Gungnir is the only other option under $1,500 new that I’d really consider. But Bifrost 2 is still a better match for the RAALs, unless we’re talking about an original Gungnir and then there are other considerations.
It’s hard to recommend DENAFRIPS when they have no demo or trial options. You buy one, and don’t like it, and you’re stuck with selling it on the used market. On top of which, at those price points I would buy something else anyway.
I rather like the Holo Audio units. $1,500 should score a used L3 Spring DAC. They’re a nice match for the traits of the RAALs, if you like non-oversampling digital replay. I probably wouldn’t do a CYAN with the SR1a though.
Chord’s Qutest is a nice option, but not necessarily the best pairing with the Jotunheim R. It’s more appropriate with the HSA-1b in my opinion.
A used Yggdrasil A2 is also very viable. Closest to the Bifrost 2 in terms of how well it’ll match with the SR1a, and a better performer overall, though obviously much larger.
Also, depending on exactly what is going on with your hearing, you may find Jotunheim R to be a better match for you than the HSA-1b. I have one of each. But the only way to know for sure is to try both.
Thanks Ian that information helps.
Craig
This message is visible to the public (thought I’d let you know since you posted your number/email).
Thank you for you note.
Craig
And … I finally got the HSA-1b review posted - which I did in a dedicated thread, since the HSA-1a is no longer sold, and the HSA-1b differs enough it is a distinct product.
You can find it here.
Hey fellas, just noticed this on the RAAL site. And ordered one of course 
Ribbon Silver Cable - RAAL -requisite
Do let us know how it sounds.
Certainly. I’ve owned a few silver (and silver/copper hybrid) IC’s and HP cables, some I liked, some I didn’t. They do seem to need some hours of use for break-in much more so than copper.
I have one Dragon silver and one Dragon copper HP cable for the Utopia (which I no longer have) and given the high frequency capabilities of the Utopia I was not expecting the combo to be so good. But it was. Ya never know till you try sometimes.
Long time no see and for good reason, 6 month update and follow-up on ownership.
The SR1a has been the biggest reason for my lack of presence on this forum by far. As a hobbyist, It brought me somewhere I was hoping to get but at the same time I had no expectation of getting there.
I truly feel that the SR1a has been able to capture the feeling of a decent 2.0 setup without the compromise of room characteristics.
From my experience, EQ has been critical with the RAAL based on their built-in compensation of the Schiit Jotunheim R and finding the limits of clipping at moderate to higher volumes.
EqualizerAPO has been critical in tweaking the sound of the SR1a into everyday use, by appllying a 20hz shelf to prevent excess excursion and slight reductions at 2k and 8k to take the glare off the presentation of the RAALs I have been happy to use them for daily use from Music to PC Gaming without thought.
As a side note, I bought the ZMF headband to give the RAAL extra comfort and they work like a dream, feel free to bend the headband and pressure points to accommodate your head, ergonomics were critical in being able to focus on the audio for me. Hope that helps 
Hello all,
After plenty of research and reading through this thread, I have recently purchased these headphones along with the JOT R that I have paired with my Bifrost 2. I am also currently using Tidal (I know). I am not familiar with EQing, and so far my one attempt to do so led to very poor results. These headphones already sound fantastic, but I am trying to reach the levels of audio nirvana with these that so many of you have described.
With that said, what is the best or most user friendly EQ software I should try? I am also on Mac. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Hi @JT0513 not sure anyone answered you, welcome to the community.
There is a good thread about EQ for Mac here EQ for both iOS & Mac
You can also go single ended into your JOT R with a Loki + but that is only 4 adjustments. I do this and I am able to tame the treble on overly bright/harsh recordings, and for fun I give the bass a couple db for reggae
Enjoy your new SR1a!
Hi Again @JT0513
I should also have linked you to this thread EQ? Anyone using one? - #2 by Torq
Possibly even more detailed info from Torq.
I recently downloaded the trial of DMG Audio EQuick for use with the SR1a through Audirvana+ which I already used. It is pretty simple to use IMO. I have not decided for sure if it is necessary often enough to bother with, but if you find you are wishing to EQ the SR1a it will do so provided you have a requisite player application (such as Audirvana+).
To be candid, I will likely not use it long term as my own HRTF seems to like the balance of the SR1a without need and I also adjust the baffle angle frequently for different genre as a sort of “EQ” in and of itself. (read this post from @I_want_all_the_tacos EQ? Anyone using one? - #2 by Torq). There are in this thread some folks ingrained against EQ as an indication of a “bad” headphone, however as someone who has also worked for 30+ years in a field that deals with the nuances of brain stimuli, I agree with @I_want_all_the_tacos.
I will, for example with orchestral music, listen with the baffles open wide to nearly perpendicular to my head for the widest stage. This does not work for music, like reggae, where bass is arguably the very foundation of the music. In that case, a closed position of the baffles offers a more visceral bass, and depending on the recording, +2-3 db on the Loki or EQ does the rest.
I’d suggest experimenting extensively with the baffles to see how close you get to your desired balance.
Happy listening.
I’m a little late to the game but here are a few impressions so far of the Raal-Requisite SR1a Earfield Monitors paired with the Jotunheim R. I just got mine 3 days ago and from what I’m hearing so far, these are a very unique and enjoyable listening experience overall, compared to headphones. One of the more obvious improvements is the openness but that only begins to describe what I hear. Stereo separation is really pronounced on sounds that are recorded with lots of panning. Sparkly details like high hats that are panned feel like they’re way beyond the baffles. It’s an amazing phenomen. I’m wondering if ‘extreme panning’ has anything to do with ultra-wide sound stage? If so maybe I should consider the HD800S?? 
For the record I prefer baffle compensation off on the JotR and use PeaceEQ to add sub-bass and to reduce some ribbon brightness (8k and 16k).
I’d like to make share some observations which don’t have anything to do with sound but might be of interest to some.
First realization is that the majority of the frame is made out of titanium. Maybe steel. I’ve reached out to Danny at Raal so I’ll update as soon as I hear back. This is an educated guess but it looks, feels and reacts like titanium. I’d be surprised if it’s not. It’s the perfect material choice for the frame since you can shape it back and forth and it will retain it’s springiness. Titanium is about the same strength as steel but around half the weight. Aluminum is much lighter but doesn’t exhibit the same springiness due to it having a much lower modulus of elasticity (it’s brittle). I’ve opened mine up quite a bit because I’m primarily sitting still and don’t like or need a high clamping force. I bend open all my head bands including the Stellias.
SR1-a headband stretched wide open
Speaking of springs, no there’s no separate spring on the latest model. However, part of the frame just above the baffles is a single long strip of metal that acts as a leaf spring that can be carefully bent into shape. Note that the baffle mount/pivot hangs off of an aluminum cylinder mounted at the front end of the leaf spring. This allows the entire baffle to be adjusted to your liking.
The leaf spring allows for a wide range of adjustment and fine tuning
Now for something I was not expecting. I believe the grilles on the baffles are laser cut sheet metal (seemingly the same metal as the frame) with a cross-hatch texture. Pretty cool right? Unfortunately that results in every edge being very sharp and saw-toothed.
Closeup detail of burrs from machining
Generally I’d say tough it out but for what it is, a very exquisite piece of audio gear that sits on your head and comes in close contact with face, ears, fingers etc I’m inclined to dismantle the whole thing and deburr all the edges with some fine sandpaper.
If my hunch is correct and the frame of the SR1-a is titanium, it should be called SR-71 after the legendary plane constructed primarily out of titanium and composites. Even if it’s not titanium it has a titanium finish so I might stick to calling mine Blackbird.
Edit 2021-03-28T07:00:00Z
I heard back from David from Raal and he explained, 'The frame is a very high quality steel. We have a video you will appreciate which is why we used the material compliant to the adjustable spring steel for adjusting.’
Although spring steel is heavier than titanium, it’s much more affordable and provides just as high a yield strength.
The Raal (With the Jot) is my favourite, but when I need a bit of isolation the Stellia is a good alternative. Do you listen to anything else regularly?
Has anyone with a Jot R used the RAAL adapter to try conventional headphones, like the LCD4 or similar? The HSA1b came with an adapter for doing so, but I am not sure if the Jot 2 is configured for that or if it would be dangerous to the amp or cans…I have a Jot R coming next week for comparison, but nervous to try it with no info. Thanks!
I know the manual says this:
5 Balanced Male 4-Pin Jack. Plug your Raal/
Requisite headphones in here. It’s designed only
for these headphones. Don’t try it with other
headphones. Don’t make adapters. Seriously, this
is just for Raals, and that is all.
But it also says this:
2 Baffle Compensation Switch. Up is on, down
is off. Turn this on when using open-baffle
headphones like the SR1a. Turn it off if using
circumaural headphones.
I’ve done it.
That was using adapters I built myself, which not only have to change the connector gender but the pin-out is completely different and requires reversing phase. You also have to stick to balanced (4-wire) headphones, otherwise the unit will just shutdown … there’s no driving anything single-ended, or converting to TRS, possible here.
It worked fine, with reasonable headphone pairings (i.e. good sensitivity/efficiency), but you’re limited to about 5V RMS output and 780mW at 32 ohms/83mW at 300 ohms, so there’s not a ton of headroom left for more demanding cans.
It wouldn’t be something I wanted to do with higher-end cans as anything more than a very short-term stop-gap. The LCD-4 would be in the realm of cans I would not want to use this way.
You’re much better off adding a Jotunheim 2 for your conventional headphones.
Thank you @Torq.
So it sounds like it is really built differently in some respects to the HSA1b which seems to drive conventional headphones just fine, at least the limited ones I have tried. You also wrote in your review of the HSA1b that the HEDD and LCD4 in particular sounded quite good adapted off of the SR1a output.
So the Jot R is different, but will not short anything out or fry my headphones. I have the adapter from the HSA1b so I trust it is wired correctly, and tried it on the RAAL amp with my Eikon but of course it sounded terrible out of that output, but OK out of the conventional output.
I have other amps so it is not a necessity, I was just curious if it could serve as an all rounder, and now i have my answer: No!
Thank you again for answering.
I still use the Audeze LCD-i3 several hours a day for work. Before I got the Blackbird I was primarily listening to the Ananda for everything but work and it might be better for gaming for me. I also have the Susvara on the way. Collecting dust are all my Senns and Beyers although the hd650 gets dusted off for seeing how it scales with new amps.
They’re completely different designs, with the Jotunheim R being optimized to do one thing well - drive the SR1a. Versus the three-way “switch drive” design of the HSA-1b.
Just the HSA-1b’s PSU and heatsink are about the same size and weight as the entire Jotunheim R, not to mention the significant (4.5x) price difference.
They both sound excellent from the HSA-1b’s “Ribbon” output and the HEDDphone sounded the best I’ve ever heard it driven that way. The HSA-1b has about 2.5x the power available for conventional headphones vs. Jotunheim R, which helps a lot.
It shouldn’t, but don’t blame me (nor Schiit) if something goes POOF.
I didn’t think the Eikon sounded terrible out of the ribbon output. Far from it. I just preferred it from the conventional headphone output. And since the Eikon doesn’t need the power the ribbon output can deliver, there’s no reason to use them that way.