[jkotorman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by panda you have one of the best fones with the rs-1, my favorite, the ra-1 amp is love it or hate it thing. i'm not fond of it, it's too polite. pick yourself up a gilmore lite and you will hear strong bass lines along with better everything else...

Panda I think you said it best when you say the RA-1 is too polite. I couldn't have said it better myself. I had been looking at the Gilmore Lite when I first hit these forums but I think I have my mind set on the Slams. They seem to have the bass I need with the additional warmth that tubes would provide. Thanks for the suggestion tho.

 

[cansman]

Hi jkotorman,

As I have said earlier, my suggestion to you is to save your money to buy the best CD player you can afford. With my punchy Naim CD5i, the RA-1 does not sound too polite at all. There is a good amount (not the best) of PRaT (pace, rhythm and timing) - which is more than acceptable.

I have the Naim Headline 2 amp. But at the present moment (still experimenting), I prefer the synergy of the RS-1s with the RA-1 than with the Headline!

As Ivor of Linn has said, the source is an extremely important link in hi-fi gear.

Hope this helps

Warmest regards,

cansman

 

[jkotorman]

Hi Cansman,

Thanks for the info on the source. I never realised how much of a difference that would make to the sound of the headphones. I thought the source was more responsible for cleaning up the presentation in terms of distortion and getting a more accurate sound out of the musical instruments and vocals. I posted an update to my first post to let everyone know the progress of my listening experience.

 

[cansman]

No worries! Thanks for your update!

 

[robm321]

RA-1 too polite? Not in my experience at all. Smooth would be a better word for it.

Since you're thinking of buying an amp and everything why not try Cpads for about $100.

I hear they give a better sound stage and tuneable bass?

I'm thinking about getting a pair myself since I lost one of my bowl pads. I'm stuck with flats which I love but would like some soundstage.

 

[Zanth]

My 5000th post. How apropros that I use this post to respond to the RA-1/RS-1 combo, my first real combo that had me catapulted into this insane hobby of ours!

Firstly, congrats on your combo. If you feel the RA-1 is a bit soft, then look to your source before selling the amp. Yes the RA-1 may not have the best parts, but those parts were chosen wisely to work very well with the RS-1's. In fact, the RA-1 is one of the more revealing amps and it is definitely susceptible to upstream components. If your source is lacking, so will the sound out of the RS-1's amped by the RA-1. I found that when I moved from my portable CD player to even a cheap DVD player, the sound improved a lot. When I purchased my main Redbook player the authority was staggering. It just proved to me that the RA-1 was letting through what it was being given.

Secondly, if you are looking for a tube amp that will work very well with the RS-1's but not cost you an arm and a leg, I can't recommend the Maple Tree Audio Ear+ Pure HD highly enough. This amp compares so very closely with the absolute best at a meager 500 or so bucks that it is nearly sinful to not consider it. With it's tube rolling capacity, one is easily able to tune the sound to what one enjoys. It is fast, authoritative, smooth, dynamic, punchy and never strident. For me, this is paramount to enjoyment. If I get shrill or strident highs, I'm gone. Now, one's source has a lot to do with this, but there is no point for me to invest in an amp that will add to this. The Ear+ doesn't do this.

You may also what to check out some decent interconnects. Do this as a last stage, but the RA-1/RS-1 does bode well when paired with some nice ic's.

Enjoy your time with this legendary combo! I know I still love mine.