I’ve had my SR1a since Oct 2019 and am still on the same pads. I find a bit of stubble in the side burn area helps anchor the phone in place nicely. I don’t believe a full set of replacement pads is very expensive. $100.00 (seems a bit much for what they are but…check the price for replacement ear pads on a 1266 or Utopia). I’m thinking I’ll get 3 years out of my pads easy, maybe more. I shave every 2 or 3 days. I also don’t wear them when I’m good and sweated up from some physical activity.
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I’m still wondering how a sub would integrate with them.
Lots of people have very good experiences pairing a sub with the SR1a.
For me, it seems a bit pointless … as in any situation I could use a subwoofer, I could use speakers … and I wouldn’t be bothering with headphones in the first place.
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Are they looking for a moving sweet spot? I hate setting up a room with massive speakers and a single good audio chair.
I can use a sub with the SR1a and did more often at first since the SR1a is “better” than my modest 2 channel set up. The issue is, I found I had to use even more gain on the subwoofer with the SR1a to really “feel” it vs. listening to speakers, and at that point I am pretty much rattling the windows. It proved a novelty for me that I rarely employ anymore but it is possible and fun if no one else is in the house.
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Room modes would mean the sub wouldn’t sound the same if you listened in different spots (phase issues at a minimum), so if they are it’s a very hit-and-miss deal.
If it’s for moving around the room while listening … not practical with the SR1a as a) you can’t run long cables with them due to the need for ultra-low impedances and b) they won’t stay put if you walk around.
This is why I chose a bass shaker because it doesn’t bother the whole room, especially when it’s mounted directly behind your head. When I really turn it up, it does produce lots of room filling volume but it’s primarily designed for shaking.
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When I last looked into bass shakers, I could not find one that could feed off of my main headphone system. Which one are you using and how is it connected to your audio system?
My setup is a bit convoluted but here goes: Focal Arche is used as my DAC with line out to the JotR and SAE reciever. The bass shaker is connected to speaker 2 left ch only (I’m using speaker 1 taps for occasionally listening to Susvara). The SAE R102 is rated at 50 wpc rms so it’s a perfect match for the dayton bs (rated for 50 w max). I hear you can use any amp but just watch your volume and temp…you don’t want any harmful distortion.
Having the JotR to drive the SR1a and the R102 to drive the Dayton allows for separate control and flexibility.
BTW I’m not using a low pass filter currently but I tried to place an inline filter on the speaker wire and it did absolutely nothing. I think it belongs on the interconnect! As a workaround I turned down the treble on the R102.
I was thinking more along those wearable bass shakers like woojer:
But I guess you are using bass shaker you screw onto your chair like this (you screwed it on your chair?)
That’s the Dayton I have. I was prepared to screw it down but it works great just hanging off the headrest. It might be more effective screwed down but it’s a decent compromise.
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In case people haven’t seen this posting about convolution filters: Taking the RAAL-requisite SR1a Headphones To Another Level - Reviews - Audiophile Style
Will be interested to hear what those more knowledgeable and experienced than me (e.g. everyone on here) makes of these filters.
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Thank you for sharing @adornoWest
I am going to write Mitch asap. What I do not know yet if the filters can be applied in Audirvana or no. I see the author lists it but not sure if it requires more software.
If I try it I will report back.
For my part I have been experimenting with EQuick and enjoying adding some bass. I will be curious how the filters compare, for example, to Oratory1990’s profile. I found I liked a modified version of that for certain genre.
More to follow, thanks again.
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I’ve gotten dozens of inquiries, via various channels, about what my thoughts on these filters are and/or whether I am going to review them. Rather than respond individually to each of them, I’m just going to do it once here:
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I cannot comment on Mitch’s SR1a convolution filters, as I have not heard them.
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I had/have no plans to review them.
That’s not a commentary on those filters at all. I have no doubt they make the claimed adjustments; just can’t say how I would respond to them. And since I am not really doing any headphone listening lately – there’s no motivation to buy myself a copy. Notwithstanding that I can, have and do create my own such filters anyway (including for the SR1a).
If/when I get back to headphone listening, and am using the SR1a again, it’s quite likely I’ll buy a copy of Mitch’s filters to use and compare/contrast with my own. Debatable whether I’d spend the time to do a proper review though. Impressions are more likely. But I wouldn’t hold your breath on either – if you’re curious you should check them out yourself.
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I emailed with Mitch and confirmed that the use of his filters requires a convolver like his to use. That puts the price up to the point where I’ve decided not to invest. But Mitch was very nice and responsive. Maybe another time.
That’s the case if your audio player does not have a built-in convolution capability. With Roon, all you need is the filter files. With Audirvana you’d need a plug-in to run the filters as it doesn’t have a built-in convolver.
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Yes, thanks for clarifying my partial explanation. I have only Audirvana so would need one.
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Many thanks to @adornoWest - after his post I did indeed go down that route, to test for myself.
I have all my music files (either WAV or FLAC in everything from Redbook 16bit44.1kHz to DSD64) on my Synology NAS. Previously, I had streamed them with my EMM Labs NS1 streamer vio Toslink optical into my Meitner MA1v2 DAC, and from there to the HSA-1b powering my SR1-a. So no computer in the audio chain.
Now I had reached out to Mitch as well (great pleasure to deal with!), he confirmed that HQPlayer was the way to go, using its convolver engine for the filters. I tried USB out from my PC (with an ASUS Z390 Aorus Master mainboard which is optimised for Audio over USB) directly into the Meitner DAC, but with rather sobering results. Next up was SOtM sMS-200ultra NEO with sPS-500 power supply, still not ideal. Currently I use an UP Squared (https://up-shop.org/up-squared-gateway-pentium-n4200-w-8g-memory-64g-emmc-board-w-ovesa-plate.html) as Network Audio Adapter (NAA), powered by a Teddy Pardo PSU. The latter is still burning in (according to Teddy Pardo this takes up to 30 days…), upsampling to DSD128, with pretty encouraging results. In about a month I have an even leaner UP Gateway coming (https://up-shop.org/up-gateway-atom-x5-z8350-w-4g-memory-32g-emmc-board-w-vesa-plate.html). There’s also the option of an alternative DAC (the DSC1 from Signalyst who developed the HQPlayer, Signalyst, might give that a try to as it can take up to SDS512)
Bottom line so far: While I still think that the previous chain with the EMM NS1 was the cleanest, and still my preferred for DSD64 from SACD rips, upsampling of Redbook 16bit44.1kHz with HQPlayer to DSD128 yields absolutely stunning results in soundstage, transparency, detail etc. The filters surprisingly gave me a tad more bass (maybe just cleaner, as the hump around 50Hz is removed), but treble in the new chain is still too harsh and too dominant.
What I’m trying to say (and that’s what you both @Torq and @MokhaMark point out) is that this is not just about the filters, they need a place where they can play, e.g. HQPlayer in my case. For me that brought an alternative route via USB with it, which has considerable (and likely more substantial) effects on the overall sonic results as well.
Not sure yet where I’ll end up (maybe with HQPlayer Pro, with which I can do the upsampling and the convolution with filters on the files themselves, and then play over the EMM NS1), but I find it very refreshing and thrilling to try new routes and alternatives, I thought with the previous chain I was settled for eternity, yet there’s always room to play with great learnings 
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The Schiit Freya+ pre-amp finally came out in black finish and I was compelled to complete the set.
100% recommend this as an easy way to mesh the benefits of great tube sound with the SR1a in a full balanced setup.
Really cool synergy I came across is being able to have the ribbons flush against your ears which we know can compress the soundstage a bit but with the Freya+ giving a sense of width you get the better bass and mid-bass while still getting a wide stage.
Happy as a clam and enjoying tubey goodness with a chocolate stout right now, cheers!
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Would you link me to that wallpaper on your G9? It’s awesome. That’s a set-up to be proud of!
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