RAAL-requisite SR1a - Earfield™ Monitor/Headphone - Official Thread

Headphones Official Headphone Model Discussion
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Here’s a quick FLIR shot of the dual-mono Vidar’s running the SR1a. This is with my normal audition playlist, after an hour at an average level of 85 dB.

Vidars%20with%20SR1a
Vidars with SR1a.jpg1024×1024 344 KB

Temperatures are about 10℉ lower across the board than when running the same thing into a single, stereo, Vidar.

Vidar seems pretty efficient at shedding heat. If I do this with a super-bass-heavy track list and drive things up to, say, 120℉ at the hottest point, then switch to a normal rock track the temps will be back down to this level in under a minute.

As amps go, I’d say these just run warm - not hot. Ragnarok ran hotter just driving headphones. Impressive stuff.

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Liberator or Destroyer of Worlds?

So both designations might be a bit hyperbolic, but the SR1a have created quite a disturbance in my world in the week since they arrived. They may not be the root cause of this disturbance - but they’ve certainly proven to be a significant catalyst in focusing my reevaluation of my habits, desires and goals in regards to “personal audio”.

But the SR1a are not just the catalyst to some major changes here.

At this point I think they’re also the agent or facilitator for it.

And this is because for the first time since I got back into “personal audio” (anything headphones/IEMs instead of speakers), I am faced with a situation where I really don’t want to listen to anything else. A situation that is not helped given that, provided I have the ability to apply EQ (which I do in my primary rig), I can meet or beat the performance and signature of all but two of the other headphones I own.

The potential here is huge … as in the ability to go from 20 pairs of headphones, half a dozen DACs and more amplifiers still … to … one source, one amp, maybe a headphone amp, and three pairs of headphones for my primary rig … and not feel like I am missing anything …

Simple, clean, neat … things I generally aspire towards.

That’s an extremely attractive proposition.

And since the headphones in question that aren’t the SR1a don’t need gobs of power, that headphone amp would be more about keeping tubes in the equation than anything else … hence the “maybe”.

Not what I expected coming in to this.

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As a sr1a awaiter, those are very scary statements.

As a long time disbeliever of “one size fits all”, I don’t see myself to conclude destructively (exclusive only one). On the other hand, it’s also true that I’ve been narrowing my preference zone down continuously (for example, there were staxes, senns, akgs, and beyers ‘simultaneously’ in the house years ago – now all gone but zmfs).

Practically, I could settle in the following combination:

  1. Verite (primary go-to)
  2. Wearable speaker (secondary go-to)
  3. Down-tilted neutral or so-called “consumer neutral” headphone (reference timbre and tonality)

SR1a seems to perfectly fit into #2.

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Next, we will need to see before and after graphs of your electric utility bill.

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Time for a showdown with STAX in the same price range.

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Oh, the SR1a won’t let me get down to just one headphone, but it will let me cull the herd to a significant degree.

  • Vérité is, I’m sure, a keeper - and likely both versions (with one going to my “day job office” rig).
  • Stellia or the HD820 will be staying (I need a closed-back headphone).
  • Abyss or LCD-4 (or similar) will likely stick around, with caveats.
  • Utopia will be staying.

All of the above do something I can’t do with the SR1a, even if that is just “be the closest equivalent that’ll run off a conventional headphone amplifier or DAP” or “work for most of my music and moods without EQ”.

Expanding on the above a bit …

I’d keep both Vérité (Pheasantwood and Ziricote) and have one at home and one in “the office”. The HD820 might stick around along side the Stellia because it’s so unique (and also for “the office)”.

The Abyss might get upgraded to (replaced with) the latest Phi TC version (current plan); if not, it’s gone. The LCD-4 might get replaced with a newer, more efficient, lighter LCD-4 variants, though if keep the Abyss, then the LCD-4 won’t stay in any form. Or BOTH might get replaced with something like the Meze Empyrean (not heard it yet) or whatever HiFiMAN replace the Susvara with (since I won’t buy the current one based on how long it’s been out and it’s less-than-impressive build/feel).

The above, planar, headphones are the only ones I have that necessitate a dedicated headphone amplifier at all. Everything else runs beautifully straight out of the headphone output on either my DAVE or my N8. So they might be the only reason to keep a high-powered headphone amp/tube-amp.

Utopia stays because it’s the closest thing to an SR1a I’ve heard that doesn’t need special considerations/gear to drive.

Eikon might stick around because I do enjoy it and it’s unique, gorgeous and closed-back.

Nothing else survives.

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I haven’t heard an electrostatic rig yet that can do bass, impact or weight/substance the way the SR1a can - not even flagship can/amp combinations. On that basis alone, they’re a non-starter for me at this point.

I’m often tempted to buy a rig to dabble with, but I think that ship just sailed - permanently. Even with a BHSE juicing them, not even the SR-009 or SR-007Mk2 has been satisfying enough to date for me to pull the trigger on. And adding a single-purpose amplifier is, especially now, 100% at odds with the strong desire to simplify and consolidate the the SR1a is driving (and enabling).

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Sorry to hear that about the STAX, but having serious good power amps could get you listening to speakers again. I’d trade any possible headphone for speakers like Wilson Audio Yvette or Sasha.

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Maybe you misunderstand … or more likely, I’m not being clear …

When I said I would rather listen to the SR1a than anything else, I mean any other headphone (or IEM - though IEMs, as amazing as they can be, are already an “only when I must” proposition).

I already have a nice speaker rig. It’s an all Linn Exakt setup, including the 4-way Akudorik Exakt (Katalyst) speakers, which is about as sophisticated a setup as I can find for the space I have available for it.

The “stands” for those speakers include:

  • A matched Chakra amplifier for each drive unit (about 800w in total)
  • A dedicated Katalyst AK4497 DAC for each drive unit.
  • Space Optimization+ - which is a room and drive-unit* correction system.
  • Custom DSP and digital filtering.
  • Network Interface
  • Dynamik Power Supplies

Without the room correction processing, I couldn’t run speakers properly at my current place. The huge array of full-height picture windows would preclude it. With it, it’s almost as good as purpose built-listening room in my last house.

What I can’t do with the Akudorik Exakt setup is use it to drive other speakers (other Exakt systems can, if they run external Exakt Boxes and amps) - hence checking out various speaker amps for the SR1a. Though one of the ones I will be trying is a “conventional” Linn AK4200 (Chakra) amp.

On the STAX front, it’s no big deal. There are some genres I think they’re amazing for. I just don’t find them as good as some of the other options for all genres … and I listen to such a broad array of music, that it has either required genre-specific bias in headphones (one reason why I have so many of the bloody things) or other accommodations. The SR1a is just the first headphone I’ve come across that can manage 99% of that coverage with their basic setup and a little EQ.

It won’t be a setup for everyone, but I’m tired of using headphones as “EQ+”.

Before …

If I wanted killer bass and some semblance of depth to the stage, then out would come the AB-1266 Phi CC driven off my tube-amp. If I wanted an intimate projection with lucid mids and a warmer tone, but still wanted solid bass, then out would come the LCD-4. When I wanted better resolution and low-level detail retrieval, it’d be the Utopia, and if I wanted a bias towards stage vs. dynamics as well, then HD800S. And so on …

With the SR1a resolution and micro-detail are ahead of every other headphone I own. Bass texture and articulation is on par with the Abyss, and I can bring the level up to match them as well, without other artifacts, since there are no cup/housing/baffle interactions to cause other issues. Add this much bass boost to most other headphones and they just get boomy (or even distorted) and usually intrude on the mid-range. The SR1a stay clean and clear.

Stage is a function of the music and how far the drivers are opened, and doesn’t require using a different headphone to accommodate.

As I’ve said, I think the SR1a need EQ to be what most people think of as neutral. Without it, they’re great for mixing and for anything where you want a bit more treble energy and a fair bit less bass from 30 Hz down. But with, or without, it, they remain the fastest, most resolving, most flexible transducer I know of that I can use when speakers are a no-go.

With that EQ I have a single headphone that will do 99% of what ALL the others will do, in one package, and with one EQ setting (I could use multiple, for different things, but I haven’t’ found the need yet).

What they won’t do is:

  • Play off a regular source/amp or DAP.
  • Provide any isolation from, or attenuation of, outside sounds at all.

And I still need/want to do those things.

Just not enough that I’m willing to keep more than a dozen headphones and a bunch of other gear to do it. So I’ll settle on a very small set of cans that do the best “overall” there. But otherwise expect I’ll be listening via the SR1a.

*The individual drive units for every Linn speaker are measured at the factory before they are built. When you setup Exakt w/ Space Optimization+, you tell it the serial numbers of your speakers, and it looks up the specific corrections required for the individual drive units installed in your particular pair).

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How close do they come to the experience of listening to said speakers ? Is is possible to quantify percentage wise and what might it cost for speakers with relative SQ?

Forgot to add this question, as I’m interested in if you’re including custom fit IEMs in the statement.

I ask because I met someone at a meet who ditched all his other cans (including HD800) once he bought a very hi end custom IEM.
I forget the mode but It was before the cost of any custom breached two grand.
And obviously, as custom IEMs, you don’t get to check to see how they sound!

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My setup, specifically?

Much closer than any other headphone I’ve heard. But not especially close. But that’s not a near-field configuration. I also have a pair of ExactBox-driven sub-woofers (one small one for speed, another larger unit with a time-aligned delivery, for impact/depth).

The SR1a are better compared to a set of near field monitors. Say something like ATCs, Genelecs, or in the audiophile world maybe KEF LS50 (though the SR1a out-resolve all of those), positioned about 6 feet apart, 3-4 feet in front of your listening position.

They do project depth and have layers within that, which you don’t generally get from headphones at all. They’re much wider and deeper in that regard than the HD800S or Abyss. But they don’t have quite the same ability to render stage as a wide set pair of transducers, nor are they as visceral as speakers (especially not with properly setup subwoofer’s offers).

Yep, I am.

My issue with IEMs in general is not really about how they *sound. It’s comfort and convenience, having stuff stuck in my ears, relatively early onset of physical, if not “listening”, fatigue, fiddliness and so on.

ADEL/APEX equipped IEMs (rare) help with that a lot. But I still don’t find them particularly pleasant to use … beyond their sonic abilities.

So, yes, it applies as much to custom IEMs as it does universals.

Customs can be worse for my use case, because that’s usually on a plane. And I frequently travel with people. They always want to chat on and off. So I wrestle the customs out of my ears. We chat a bit. I put them back in. Two seconds later, they want to add a thought/comment and it’s a complete repeat.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my tia Fourté, and I will be buying a new set of custom IEMs as well, once I settle on which ones (AAW Canaries are tempting … once there is a custom option in the US), but I would use full-size open-back cans over IEMs in EVERY situation where I reasonably could, the same way I would choose speaker-based listening over headphones given the opportunity.

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It sounds very much like we have quite similar preferences in audio…but VERY different wallet sizes! :smirk:
I appreciate & enjoy reading your comments and insights regardless.

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A long time ago, while doing various engineering and psychoacoustic studies, I learned that our natural response to audible distortion, even at low-levels, is that we perceive it as being “too loud*”.

In light of this, it is interesting that I can run the SR1a at much higher levels, for much longer periods, without getting any such sense, nor any desire to reduce the volume. 85 dB (measured) on these doesn’t “sound as loud” as it does on any other headphone I own. I don’t hear any specific distortion artifacts, just that other cans “sound louder” for the same actual SPL.

Which, at least for me, is an interesting demonstration that these (SR1a) are more accurate (lower distortion) than my other cans. Not enough to notice consciously, but enough for the brain to recognize over a little time.

This is the NOT the same thing as ACTUALLY being too-loud, which will result in hearing damage. Where as the distortion-element will merely prompt you to want to “turn it down” even though the levels are well below being an issue.

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This is entirely consistent with my (lower cost) experience and preferences. [And a stance that Amir at ASR aggressively pushes–low distortion above all else.] For whatever reason, I often perceive distortion as hiss, as if it’s impossible for the brain to correctly decode the signal.

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I’ve liked the Linn equipment I’ve heard, although it is fairly rare around here. It seems that the few people I’ve known who had any were in some way connected to the UK. Given their design philosophy, I’m sure you can see why I like the Wilson Audio line. My budget - at present - doesn’t permit the indulgence.

My rooms are all less difficult than ones with a 50% or greater glass wall, so I’m pretty sure that in my environment the more traditional passive methods for achieving phase coherence used by Wilson should work for me.

Please include a picture of your speaker setup and listening environment sometime.

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I’m English, moved to the US in '95, after 25 years as a born-and-bread-Brit, so guilty as charged!

The single most impressive/memorable audio-demo I’ve had was a Michel Gyro-Dec driving some phono/pre stage I can’t recall, into Halcro mono-blocks feeding whatever Wilson’s TOTL speaker was (they looked like the current Alexandria XLF, but this was 1996), playing “Talking Heads” track “And she was”.

I am Wilson fan.

I can write the check for their best. I do not have space here, to do them justice (nor am I willing to give up being in walking distance to ALL of Seattle’s best cultural and musical spots, nor the fall-into-Puget-sound location), not withstanding that I would be evicted about 10 minutes after firing them up.

Will do … but be warned, in advance, the dynamic range, given the massive backlighting, combined with piano black speakers on black stands may result in a less than “pleasant” image!

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As amazing as the SR1a have proven to be with the RME ADI-2 DAC and Phonitor X feeding the Parasound and Schiit Vidar (single and dual-mono), I will be shortly moving up the amplification chain.

I do have to say that, even with a single Vidar, the SR1a have been a more than rewarding experience and I would have bought, and kept them, in that mode quite happily (and still gushed over them).

The additional Vidar brought definite benefits.

Next steps will be more about refinement and precision/resolution etc. than raw power. In fact, some of the progression in amps will take a temporary step-back in terms of power.

Amps I have on the way, arranged, or am working on for additional comparisons include models the Benchmark AH2B (which is what these were developed with) in single and dual-mono configurations ($3,000 per amp), the Chord Étude ($5,300 per amp) in both stereo and dual-mono configurations and then I’ll get into the big Audio Research (etc. amps.

Also, so far I’ve had the Phonitor X playing pre-amp in the setup. It is the most transparent and resolving headphone amplifier I’ve had my ears on. I came to that conclusion by comparing my best dynamic cans (Utopia, HD800S, Vérité) directly between the Phonitor and the direct-output on my DAVE and not being able to discern any loss in transparency or detail.

Now it’s time to do that with the SR1a. This means bypassing the separate pre-amp and using the pre-outs from DAVE (which has variable level outputs built-in) directly into the speaker-amps and the SR1a. I think, if there is a difference, the SR1a will be able to expose it.

I’ve always been a fan of having fewer boxes in the audio chain, so the thought of going M-Scaler -> DAVE -> Power Amps is very appealing.

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Oh … yes … dual Aegir’s are still on the list too!

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You are a mad man! Lol for some reason I’m picturing you as such

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The…hype…is…real…now rethinking life choices lol…who needs an almost 3year old?

@Torq graciously allowed me to give these a listen…and :open_mouth: :exploding_head:

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