RAAL 1995 Magna
- Added by Trance_Gott
- Create date
-
- Tags
- magnat
A few months ago I already tested the RAAL 1995 Immanis and to this day it is the absolute reference among all my headphones. I was very excited to compare it with the RAAL 1995 Magna, the smaller model from the new era of true ribbon headphones made by Aleksandar Radisavlievic, who has decades of experience in this segment. He started out mainly in the loudspeaker segment until the first true ribbon headphones, the SR-1, saw the light of day around 6 years ago. I don't need to go into detail about how this caused a sensation and should be familiar to every audiophile headphone enthusiast by now. This is now the current culmination of this development, to put it in a nutshell, with a technology in which RAAL 1995 has a unique selling point in the headphone sector. I am not aware of any other company that operates at the same level in terms of research and development.
The Magna costs 5399 € alone without cable and interface (price in Germany). The Immanis costs 7899 €. Of course, the Magna still costs a lot of money. Is it technically and sonically worth the price? I will shed some light on this in the following. The Magna is supplied as standard with the SATIS Copper cable, i.e. a pure copper cable. Of course, the Star-8 MKII pure silver cable can also be used with Magna. I will go into the differences between the two cables in more detail later. If you opt for a complete set including interface and Star-8 MKII cable, the price is €7699. By way of comparison, the Immanis costs 9999€ in this package.
Like the Immanis, the Magna cannot be connected directly to a conventional headphone amplifier due to its very low impedance, as this would overload it. For this reason, a special interface is supplied, which provides a stable impedance of 32 ohms and also serves as a headphone stand. Alternatively, the Magna can also be used with older interfaces or amplifiers specially developed for true ribbon headphones, such as the VM-1a or HSA-1b, which do not require an additional interface. The newly developed R³ and R² drivers use an incredible 3 ribbon (Immanis) and 2 ribbon (Magna) units per side. The R² driver has the same surface area as the SR-1 driver, whereas the Immanis and R³ drivers have a 50% larger surface area. You can see the difference directly in my picture of the two headphones (side by side). Both headphones of the new generation are much more efficient than the SR-1 and can be driven more easily. The Immanis is 2.5 dB more sensitive than the Magna. I have to turn down about two volume settings on the Niimbus when I switch from the Magna to the Immanis. As both headphones use several drivers, you naturally wonder how the whole thing is synchronized. The ribbon drivers reproduce the entire frequency spectrum without crossovers. Their slightly different lengths prevent unwanted resonances. In addition, the special housing acoustics ensure that no compression effects occur.
Like the Immanis, the Magna is also a circumaural headphone with an open back and ventilated front chamber, although the Immanis has a larger front chamber. The Magna is therefore smaller than the Immanis and also weighs less (530 g vs. 610 g). Of course, this has a direct impact on comfort. I have no problems with the comfort of the Immanis, which is good overall. However, the Magna is even more comfortable for me and fits even better around my ear and skull. But I also have to say that I don't exactly have the biggest head
But I am also someone who is not very sensitive in this area. I also wear my Abyss 1266 TC on my head for 2-3 hours and don't get any shoulder pain or anything like that.
The Magna is delivered in a Pelican Case instead of a silver aluminum case as is the case with the Immanis. The Pelican Case also has enough space for all utensils such as the connection cable and interface, including the Magna. In terms of design and materials used, there is no difference between the Immanis and Magna. My Magna is silver in color compared to the gold of the Immanis. However, you can also order the other color for both. The Magna also has specially developed ear pads that were created in collaboration with Dekoni, but with a different geometry to the Immanis ear pads. All ear pads are filled with memory foam. Perforated leather is used on the outside and soft suede on the inside. A combination that allows maximum comfort and at the same time a very open playing style. Unfortunately, the ear pads come into contact with the headband construction when turned too far outwards, which is a negative feature in my opinion.
For the sound test, I used my chain consisting of the Volumio Rivo Plus Streamer powered by a high-end power supply from SBooster. This supplies a Ferrum WANDLA GSE DAC with the digital data. The Ferrum WANDLA GSE in turn is powered by Hypso's power supply unit. I use a Niimbus US4 and a Feliks Audio Envy as headphone amplifiers. I compare the Magna with its big brother, the Immanis. I will also compare the Hifiman Susvara, Audeze CRBN 2 and the Abyss 1266 TC directly with the Magna. The comparison between Magna and Immanis will be made with the Star-8 MKII pure silver cable. I will explain what difference this makes to the SATIS Copper cable at the end of the sound test.
Tonally, the Magna is slightly brighter than the Immanis with the more energetic playing style of the two. However, the biggest difference lies in the spatial imaging. The Immanis sounds as open and spacious as if you were sitting in a large auditorium. In contrast, the Magna sounds more intimate, more like an “ordinary” headphone in its presentation. But still super airy and open, although not as expansive as the Immanis in terms of the dimensions of the stage. It has a more direct midrange. The vocal reproduction is more “in your face” than with the Immanis, which illuminates it more from a distance. If I were to compare the two in loudspeaker jargon, then the Immanis is a large floorstanding speaker with a very large woofer. The Magna is more like a large studio monitor where you sit closer to the action. Both representations are at the very highest technical level, leaving no details undiscovered.
Let's start with the bass range. At first I thought that the Immanis would go a little further down in the sub bass range than the Magna. But that's not the case at all. The Magna has a hump in the mid-bass range and therefore hits harder in the kick bass than the Immanis. Due to the higher level there, the sub bass is not as present as with the Immanis, which has a more linear bass range. Perhaps also thanks to the Immanis' significantly larger driver area, the bass range sounds somewhat more powerful and fuller overall. With modern genres such as rock & metal, where it's mainly about quantity in the mid-bass range, the Magna is a lot of fun. The two true ribbon drivers strike brilliantly and enable a noticeable impact that is comparable to the Abyss 1266 TC. With the new Dream Theater album and the song Night Terror, the Magna really puts a smile on my face. Here I like to set the volume well above my usual listening level. It's fun, it's so detailed and above all so fast in the lower registers, it's just mega cool! The Immanis can do this even more voluminously overall (pushes more air mass), but doesn't kick quite as hard as the Magna. The Immanis is more detailed. The attack of a double bass and the resonance of a bass drum hit are presented even more finely.
The Magna is more direct in the mid-range. It doesn't sound quite as smooth and, above all, set back as the Immanis. You are closer to the action, but without it appearing too overemphasized in the presence range. An LCD-5, which also sounds direct, is no comparison here, because the Audeze annoys me without EQ in the presence range in some recordings. The Magna never does that. I just want to say that it sounds more direct than the Immanis. The Immanis offers the fuller mids. The Magna seems a little more purified, but in terms of timbre, both are very similar and both sound absolutely natural. The separation of instruments and their localization also works brilliantly well with the Magna, as you would expect. Apart from the electrostats, there are no other driver topologies that can keep up.
The treble range is the domain of the True Ribbon ribbons and the Magna is absolutely no slouch here either. Compared to the Immanis, it seems a little more accentuated in the treble range, but still remains in the green zone, at least for me. In this area, however, I have the feeling that the Immanis serves up the individual micro details with ease, without much effort, even though it seems smoother than the Magna. It's not that the Magna doesn't have a resolution magnifier, but the Immanis also has the upper hand in this discipline against its smaller brother and thus in the entire headphone segment. This is probably the difference that the R³ driver makes compared to the R² with its larger driver surface. In my opinion, however, you don't get the Magna because you want the absolute best headphones in the “details” discipline, but the Magna is a pair of headphones that wants to involve the listener with its tuning and requires their full attention due to its energetic, direct musical tuning. Rock, metal, EDM, pop are really fun. The genres do the same with the Immanis. But if I'm in the mood for a heavier mid-bass range and want guitar solos or vocals to involve me more directly, then I reach for the Magna. Both RAAL 1995 headphones complement each other wonderfully. Of course, the Immanis are technically the better headphones. But the Magna is stingy with its alternative sound presentation. Both have their appeal.
I used the Magna with my Niimbus US4 and Feliks Audio Envy. I have to say that I now like the Immanis a little better on the US4 than on the Envy, as the treble range is a little more effervescent and it is more energetic. This more energetic presentation doesn't suit the Magna so well. Here I clearly prefer the Envy. This is because it illuminates the treble more velvety and provides a somewhat fuller mid-range with very deep and hard bass attacks at the same time. Every RAAL 1995 headphone has found its ideal playing partner with me.
What actually changes when switching from the SATIS Copper cable to the Star-8 MKII cable? The general opinion is that a silver cable tends to sound slimmer and overemphasizes the treble range. At the latest when you hear the Magna in a comparison of copper vs. silver, it becomes clear that this is not the case! But perhaps it's also because it's not just any silver cable, because the inductance, capacitance and conductor length have been specially selected to ensure that everything performs at the very highest level. If the MK2 cable were longer or shorter than 1.8 m, these measurement data would no longer fit and the effect would be lost. But now I've talked too much about how it sounds, because after all, that's what matters! In short, there's no going back for me! If you only listen with the Copper cable, the Magna sounds superb and technically leaves Susvara and co. behind. But with the Star-8 MKII cable, the bass range gains a little more contour and plays more loosely. The treble is even more effervescent and allows the smallest details to be heard even more easily, without even the slightest harshness. On the contrary, the treble sounds even smoother. The Magna is simply capable of presenting even more information than it can serve up on the tablet with the Copper cable. Insane! Now we are still dealing with pure copper cabling for the interface and the interface to amp cable. Recently, however, Aleksandar Radisavlievic also presented a new interface based on silver cabling and a pure silver cable for the interface to amp connection, which should lead to an even further increase in sound quality. A new Star-12 cable is also offered. 3 adjusting screws that can be further optimized to get the maximum out of the True Ribbon ribbons. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to hear all these combinations.
Finally, I would like to make a few comparisons with other headphones. The Magna is more similar to a Susvara in terms of sound and presentation than the Immanis. Like the Susvara, it has a more direct midrange response. The Susvara emphasizes the mids a little more romantically, but still sounds natural. It is known for this fabulous mid-range reproduction. The Magna, on the other hand, sounds more technical with better separation and more precise localization. The Susvara has a fabulously resolving treble range, but the Magna still has the upper hand here. Overall, the Magna has more bass than the Susvara and also hits harder in the mid-bass range. They are roughly on a par in the sub bass range. The Susvara's stage presentation seems larger, but not quite as airy as the Magna. The Magna has the faster transducer and the presentation is also somewhat more energetic. The Magna's bass range is so good that even there it can keep up with the Abyss 1266 TC. What the Abyss simply does better is to convey this tangible physical impact like no other headphone. However, the Magna is more detailed in the bass and also faster, although the Abyss is one of the fastest of its kind. The mids of the Abyss are significantly more recessed than those of the Magna and are more purified. In terms of treble response, the Abyss can't quite keep up with the Magna and doesn't resolve as finely and with the ease of the Magna. The stage of the Abyss is clearly bigger, but it has to admit defeat in terms of separation. My final comparison is with the brand new Audeze CRBN 2, which I think are absolutely great headphones in terms of sound, in fact the best Audeze headphones ever! Also technically absolutely superb. My reference in terms of sub bass and here it shows the Magna and also the Immanis the taillights. Neither have such a deep bass range. In terms of quality, both have extremely fast and precise bass. I find it difficult to pick a winner here. The two driver technologies sound different, but no worse or better. The mids of the CRBN 2 and Magna are similarly direct and natural. The Magna illuminates the action more broadly while the CRBN 2 has this immense depth. The separation is at the very highest level with both. Both are extremely high-resolution in the treble range. However, due to the smoother tuning of the CRBN 2, the details don't jump out at you like they do with the Magna. I therefore can't identify a clear winner here.
The Magna is a great pair of headphones and a great addition to my headphone collection, as it complements the Immanis perfectly. Technically, the little brother is also a brute of a headphone with a completely different tuning to the Immanis. Of course, the Magna is not cheap, but in view of the competition, it is located in a region where the best headphones in the world can be found. And Immanis and Magna clearly belong to the Olympus of the headphone segment!
The Magna costs 5399 € alone without cable and interface (price in Germany). The Immanis costs 7899 €. Of course, the Magna still costs a lot of money. Is it technically and sonically worth the price? I will shed some light on this in the following. The Magna is supplied as standard with the SATIS Copper cable, i.e. a pure copper cable. Of course, the Star-8 MKII pure silver cable can also be used with Magna. I will go into the differences between the two cables in more detail later. If you opt for a complete set including interface and Star-8 MKII cable, the price is €7699. By way of comparison, the Immanis costs 9999€ in this package.
Like the Immanis, the Magna cannot be connected directly to a conventional headphone amplifier due to its very low impedance, as this would overload it. For this reason, a special interface is supplied, which provides a stable impedance of 32 ohms and also serves as a headphone stand. Alternatively, the Magna can also be used with older interfaces or amplifiers specially developed for true ribbon headphones, such as the VM-1a or HSA-1b, which do not require an additional interface. The newly developed R³ and R² drivers use an incredible 3 ribbon (Immanis) and 2 ribbon (Magna) units per side. The R² driver has the same surface area as the SR-1 driver, whereas the Immanis and R³ drivers have a 50% larger surface area. You can see the difference directly in my picture of the two headphones (side by side). Both headphones of the new generation are much more efficient than the SR-1 and can be driven more easily. The Immanis is 2.5 dB more sensitive than the Magna. I have to turn down about two volume settings on the Niimbus when I switch from the Magna to the Immanis. As both headphones use several drivers, you naturally wonder how the whole thing is synchronized. The ribbon drivers reproduce the entire frequency spectrum without crossovers. Their slightly different lengths prevent unwanted resonances. In addition, the special housing acoustics ensure that no compression effects occur.
Like the Immanis, the Magna is also a circumaural headphone with an open back and ventilated front chamber, although the Immanis has a larger front chamber. The Magna is therefore smaller than the Immanis and also weighs less (530 g vs. 610 g). Of course, this has a direct impact on comfort. I have no problems with the comfort of the Immanis, which is good overall. However, the Magna is even more comfortable for me and fits even better around my ear and skull. But I also have to say that I don't exactly have the biggest head
But I am also someone who is not very sensitive in this area. I also wear my Abyss 1266 TC on my head for 2-3 hours and don't get any shoulder pain or anything like that.The Magna is delivered in a Pelican Case instead of a silver aluminum case as is the case with the Immanis. The Pelican Case also has enough space for all utensils such as the connection cable and interface, including the Magna. In terms of design and materials used, there is no difference between the Immanis and Magna. My Magna is silver in color compared to the gold of the Immanis. However, you can also order the other color for both. The Magna also has specially developed ear pads that were created in collaboration with Dekoni, but with a different geometry to the Immanis ear pads. All ear pads are filled with memory foam. Perforated leather is used on the outside and soft suede on the inside. A combination that allows maximum comfort and at the same time a very open playing style. Unfortunately, the ear pads come into contact with the headband construction when turned too far outwards, which is a negative feature in my opinion.
For the sound test, I used my chain consisting of the Volumio Rivo Plus Streamer powered by a high-end power supply from SBooster. This supplies a Ferrum WANDLA GSE DAC with the digital data. The Ferrum WANDLA GSE in turn is powered by Hypso's power supply unit. I use a Niimbus US4 and a Feliks Audio Envy as headphone amplifiers. I compare the Magna with its big brother, the Immanis. I will also compare the Hifiman Susvara, Audeze CRBN 2 and the Abyss 1266 TC directly with the Magna. The comparison between Magna and Immanis will be made with the Star-8 MKII pure silver cable. I will explain what difference this makes to the SATIS Copper cable at the end of the sound test.
Tonally, the Magna is slightly brighter than the Immanis with the more energetic playing style of the two. However, the biggest difference lies in the spatial imaging. The Immanis sounds as open and spacious as if you were sitting in a large auditorium. In contrast, the Magna sounds more intimate, more like an “ordinary” headphone in its presentation. But still super airy and open, although not as expansive as the Immanis in terms of the dimensions of the stage. It has a more direct midrange. The vocal reproduction is more “in your face” than with the Immanis, which illuminates it more from a distance. If I were to compare the two in loudspeaker jargon, then the Immanis is a large floorstanding speaker with a very large woofer. The Magna is more like a large studio monitor where you sit closer to the action. Both representations are at the very highest technical level, leaving no details undiscovered.
Let's start with the bass range. At first I thought that the Immanis would go a little further down in the sub bass range than the Magna. But that's not the case at all. The Magna has a hump in the mid-bass range and therefore hits harder in the kick bass than the Immanis. Due to the higher level there, the sub bass is not as present as with the Immanis, which has a more linear bass range. Perhaps also thanks to the Immanis' significantly larger driver area, the bass range sounds somewhat more powerful and fuller overall. With modern genres such as rock & metal, where it's mainly about quantity in the mid-bass range, the Magna is a lot of fun. The two true ribbon drivers strike brilliantly and enable a noticeable impact that is comparable to the Abyss 1266 TC. With the new Dream Theater album and the song Night Terror, the Magna really puts a smile on my face. Here I like to set the volume well above my usual listening level. It's fun, it's so detailed and above all so fast in the lower registers, it's just mega cool! The Immanis can do this even more voluminously overall (pushes more air mass), but doesn't kick quite as hard as the Magna. The Immanis is more detailed. The attack of a double bass and the resonance of a bass drum hit are presented even more finely.
The Magna is more direct in the mid-range. It doesn't sound quite as smooth and, above all, set back as the Immanis. You are closer to the action, but without it appearing too overemphasized in the presence range. An LCD-5, which also sounds direct, is no comparison here, because the Audeze annoys me without EQ in the presence range in some recordings. The Magna never does that. I just want to say that it sounds more direct than the Immanis. The Immanis offers the fuller mids. The Magna seems a little more purified, but in terms of timbre, both are very similar and both sound absolutely natural. The separation of instruments and their localization also works brilliantly well with the Magna, as you would expect. Apart from the electrostats, there are no other driver topologies that can keep up.
The treble range is the domain of the True Ribbon ribbons and the Magna is absolutely no slouch here either. Compared to the Immanis, it seems a little more accentuated in the treble range, but still remains in the green zone, at least for me. In this area, however, I have the feeling that the Immanis serves up the individual micro details with ease, without much effort, even though it seems smoother than the Magna. It's not that the Magna doesn't have a resolution magnifier, but the Immanis also has the upper hand in this discipline against its smaller brother and thus in the entire headphone segment. This is probably the difference that the R³ driver makes compared to the R² with its larger driver surface. In my opinion, however, you don't get the Magna because you want the absolute best headphones in the “details” discipline, but the Magna is a pair of headphones that wants to involve the listener with its tuning and requires their full attention due to its energetic, direct musical tuning. Rock, metal, EDM, pop are really fun. The genres do the same with the Immanis. But if I'm in the mood for a heavier mid-bass range and want guitar solos or vocals to involve me more directly, then I reach for the Magna. Both RAAL 1995 headphones complement each other wonderfully. Of course, the Immanis are technically the better headphones. But the Magna is stingy with its alternative sound presentation. Both have their appeal.
I used the Magna with my Niimbus US4 and Feliks Audio Envy. I have to say that I now like the Immanis a little better on the US4 than on the Envy, as the treble range is a little more effervescent and it is more energetic. This more energetic presentation doesn't suit the Magna so well. Here I clearly prefer the Envy. This is because it illuminates the treble more velvety and provides a somewhat fuller mid-range with very deep and hard bass attacks at the same time. Every RAAL 1995 headphone has found its ideal playing partner with me.
What actually changes when switching from the SATIS Copper cable to the Star-8 MKII cable? The general opinion is that a silver cable tends to sound slimmer and overemphasizes the treble range. At the latest when you hear the Magna in a comparison of copper vs. silver, it becomes clear that this is not the case! But perhaps it's also because it's not just any silver cable, because the inductance, capacitance and conductor length have been specially selected to ensure that everything performs at the very highest level. If the MK2 cable were longer or shorter than 1.8 m, these measurement data would no longer fit and the effect would be lost. But now I've talked too much about how it sounds, because after all, that's what matters! In short, there's no going back for me! If you only listen with the Copper cable, the Magna sounds superb and technically leaves Susvara and co. behind. But with the Star-8 MKII cable, the bass range gains a little more contour and plays more loosely. The treble is even more effervescent and allows the smallest details to be heard even more easily, without even the slightest harshness. On the contrary, the treble sounds even smoother. The Magna is simply capable of presenting even more information than it can serve up on the tablet with the Copper cable. Insane! Now we are still dealing with pure copper cabling for the interface and the interface to amp cable. Recently, however, Aleksandar Radisavlievic also presented a new interface based on silver cabling and a pure silver cable for the interface to amp connection, which should lead to an even further increase in sound quality. A new Star-12 cable is also offered. 3 adjusting screws that can be further optimized to get the maximum out of the True Ribbon ribbons. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to hear all these combinations.
Finally, I would like to make a few comparisons with other headphones. The Magna is more similar to a Susvara in terms of sound and presentation than the Immanis. Like the Susvara, it has a more direct midrange response. The Susvara emphasizes the mids a little more romantically, but still sounds natural. It is known for this fabulous mid-range reproduction. The Magna, on the other hand, sounds more technical with better separation and more precise localization. The Susvara has a fabulously resolving treble range, but the Magna still has the upper hand here. Overall, the Magna has more bass than the Susvara and also hits harder in the mid-bass range. They are roughly on a par in the sub bass range. The Susvara's stage presentation seems larger, but not quite as airy as the Magna. The Magna has the faster transducer and the presentation is also somewhat more energetic. The Magna's bass range is so good that even there it can keep up with the Abyss 1266 TC. What the Abyss simply does better is to convey this tangible physical impact like no other headphone. However, the Magna is more detailed in the bass and also faster, although the Abyss is one of the fastest of its kind. The mids of the Abyss are significantly more recessed than those of the Magna and are more purified. In terms of treble response, the Abyss can't quite keep up with the Magna and doesn't resolve as finely and with the ease of the Magna. The stage of the Abyss is clearly bigger, but it has to admit defeat in terms of separation. My final comparison is with the brand new Audeze CRBN 2, which I think are absolutely great headphones in terms of sound, in fact the best Audeze headphones ever! Also technically absolutely superb. My reference in terms of sub bass and here it shows the Magna and also the Immanis the taillights. Neither have such a deep bass range. In terms of quality, both have extremely fast and precise bass. I find it difficult to pick a winner here. The two driver technologies sound different, but no worse or better. The mids of the CRBN 2 and Magna are similarly direct and natural. The Magna illuminates the action more broadly while the CRBN 2 has this immense depth. The separation is at the very highest level with both. Both are extremely high-resolution in the treble range. However, due to the smoother tuning of the CRBN 2, the details don't jump out at you like they do with the Magna. I therefore can't identify a clear winner here.
The Magna is a great pair of headphones and a great addition to my headphone collection, as it complements the Immanis perfectly. Technically, the little brother is also a brute of a headphone with a completely different tuning to the Immanis. Of course, the Magna is not cheap, but in view of the competition, it is located in a region where the best headphones in the world can be found. And Immanis and Magna clearly belong to the Olympus of the headphone segment!
