Since I relied on this community a lot in researching headphones, I thought I would contribute by sharing my evaluation of the SR1a’s. I should right away say, however, that while I’ve enjoyed the Focal Clears since they first came out, I’ve had limited experience comparing headphones. I don’t intend my comments, then, to be a neutral, expert review: I’m just sharing my experience as a novice. YMMV.
I listen exclusively to classical music. The SR1as, which I’ve lived with for over a month, are outstanding for classical music. I find it hard to move back to the Clears due to SQ, staging, and also comfort: the SR1as are so much more comfortable (esp with the ZMF co-pilot) than the pinching of the Clears.
With the Bifrost and JotR, the staging of the SR1as is excellent; even in congested passages I can locate an instrument in a distinct space. That said, I get limited forward projection with the SR1a’s; certainly more than the Clears, but still not a lot. While the Clear often sounded like the instruments were on the edge of my skull, the SR1as sound like I’m roughly in the conductor’s spot, with some instruments seemingly located almost at 90 degrees and others immediately in front of me.
The speed and SQ of the SR1a’s strikes me as almost uniformly excellent. They are extremely compelling, for instance, with the counterpoint of baroque instrumental music, bringing the instruments together in crisp and lively fashion. Romantic warhorses like Chailly’s Eroica, on the other hand, swell with rich warmth and immersive sonic mass. In terms of bass, it’s true that the SR1a’s do not make your lungs rumble in, say, recording of an organ, but they generally do very well in capturing the sound, texture, and umph of timpani.
I A/B’ed the JotR/HSA1-b across various types of classical music. I heard only minor differences. The piercingly sibilant entry of the oboe in Jacob’s recent recording of the 3rd movement of Mozart’s Gran Partita, for instance, seemed equally sibilant on both amps. Less but still sibilant passages in recordings like Carmignola’s recording of Vivaldi’s “Winter” likewise seemed equally edgy. Likewise, I could detect no difference in staging in either baroque chamber or dense orchestral music; they were equally excellent across a range of playing, from small chamber to opera or symphonic warhorses. Transients too seemed equally fast in both. Only in the bass did I detect a noticeable superiority in the HSA1-b. The drums assembling the crowd to hunt down Peter Grimes in the eponymous opera, for instance, had a bite to them that the JotR never managed. In the end, however, I couldn’t justify the higher price of the HSA1-b amp, as pleasurable as it was to use.
I likewise compared the Raal silver cable to stock on the JotR. Although A/Bing was admittedly more imperfect with the cable than the amps, and thus of more limited use, I detected no noticeable difference. I am now onto trying Accurate Sounds’ filters.
Given my limited experience comparing headphones, my one suggestion is purely for those with likewise limited experience. Researching these headphones for months on this and other forums before purchasing, I believed that a great deal depended on upgrades in amps and cables. My own experience when I finally demoed them, however, was that the differences were for me unnoticeable (the cable) or small (JotR vs HSA1-b) and ultimately not worth the expense. You may likely be very satisfied with the SR1a/JotR combo alone, as I am. Indeed, it is hard for me to imagine listening to classical music on anything else.
Finally, a special thanks to Raal-Requisite, who went out of their way to make purchasing with them a truly pleasant experience. They’ve been great to work with. Many thanks!