Since I was close to literally being burned by my RAAL SR1a (they started heating up out of nowhere - luckily I did not have them on my head at the time), I had completely given up on ever using them again and this led to me "downgrading" back to the HD 800 S. Actually, I was surprised at how...

Just a warning to anyone with the RAAL SR1a - out of nowhere, my pair started heating up to the point that it had a "burning" smell. Luckily it was not on my head as it was heating up - I barely had it on my head for 5 seconds before I noticed the heat. It was happening to both drivers at the...

Just got these, and I wonder if I might just hate beryllium drivers. Disappointing sound for the price, just like the ZMF Verite Closed.

Successfully cancelled my Ragnarok 2 order, as I wouldn't be receiving it until at least late April due to a parts delay. I was second-guessing it a ton, so I feel relieved. Schiit's customer service rep response was extremely quick! I'm not currently planning to get another high-end amp in...

Just a quick comment, because what I said is inaccurate and is bothering me: the treble is not "temperamental" with my current cheapo class D amp if I wear the SR1a properly. That is, with the vertical centers of the drivers about aligned with my ear canals. I guess I was just trying to find...

My hypocrisy about "you don't really need high end amps and DACs - the headphone is 95% of it" continues with a purchase of a Schiit Ragnarok 2! Ordered the "just an amp" version, as I have an RME ADI-2 DAC FS. This is my main hobby, and at this point I mostly just want the peace of mind that...

Got a BBE 282iR Sonic Maximizer ($120 @ Amazon) a couple of weeks ago. It makes the SR1a even closer to perfect to me, with no need to EQ on top of what the Maximizer does. The increase in perceived clarity/realism while still adding bass presence, body, and euphonics is amazing. When I turn the...

NOTE: just to not waste anyone's time here, this post is about the RME ADI DAC 2 FS (with the SR1a). To update on my last post, I decided to get an RME ADI DAC 2 FS instead of getting a high-end amp, and I am happy that I did! One of the things I said I wanted from an amp upgrade was for the...

First off, since I don't want to misrepresent this headphone's bass quantity, and I care about how I'm perceived here even though I refuse to talk to anybody: the bass boost in my last post was definitely too strong, so I lowered it to 3 dB. Seems about right - adds a little power to the bass...

Since my last post, I was having a consistent issue with peaky, sibilant, and etched treble. It was so bad that I was trying lowering the treble dial quite a bit below the neutral setting, but it wasn't targeting the peak, and so I wasn't able to find a satisfactory setting. I was assuming it...

With the big headband straps (I've removed the smaller ones) set to the middle pegs so that my ear canals are lined up properly or maybe a little above the speakers' centers, and the bass boosted a bit (to give it the missing "thump" that some music needs) and treble boosted a tiny amount (I...

Just got the interface. Bass problems are gone - it is perfectly balanced between the channels with no audible distortion, and I hear no over-excursion issues at a high volume (high for me, at least - I tend to listen at lower volumes). I now realize how utterly broken my Jotunheim was, haha...

Since my endgame-for-at-least-a-little-while headphone, the RAAL SR1a, is taking a break due to my Jotunheim R frying, I have been spending time listening to my other headphones, including my Monkeypod VC. It has a very unique quality among all my headphones: I find it infuriating. There is a...

Just bought the ribbon/amp interface from RAAL, plus the cheap 160 WPC amp + 12 gauge cable + banana plugs + wire cutter (I've never owned passive speakers) from amazon. I will give details about the amp when I post my impressions about the combo in the next weeks. I'm obviously not expecting...

So, my Schiit Jotunheim R, that was causing bass imbalance and distortion issues, started to smoke. Wasn't using it at that particular moment, noticed a weird (likely burnt plastic) smell at first, saw it smoking, was not very surprised, turned it off. Gonna see if I can get it replaced under...